Team Anko
by KiriKage
Summary: When Naruto is driven out of the village, he runs into a woman who knows his pain. She teaches him to live in the most dangerous of places and starts him off on his road to his dream of being Hokage. Rated M for blood and language. NxH
1. Someone To Guide Him

**Team Anko**

**Someone To Guide Him.**

Konohagakure … the village hidden in the leaves. One of the five most powerful hidden villages in all of the elemental nations. The only Hidden village to have survived several wars without tasting the bitterness of defeat. Currently the Hokage, leader and strongest of all the ninja of Konoha was holding a meeting in his office …

"It would seem that young Naruto was driven from the village again last night …. he's seven years old for Kami's sake and he couldn't have ended up in a worse place in the entire village" spoke Hiruzen Sarutobi, the sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no sato. His office was full of his top level Jounin, ANBU and even a few clan heads.

"Where is it the boy has hidden himself Hokage-sama?" asked a concerned ANBU.

"The boy has taken up residence in training ground forty-four" Hiruzen replied, his eyes closed in deep thought.

"But that's-"

"The forest of death … I know … clearly the horrors within are easier to put up with than the village people" spoke the aged Hokage sadly.

"That kid must have no fear if he's willing to venture in there on his own, let alone sleep in there" spoke a light purple haired Jounin. She wore a mesh body suite and tan skirt along with a ankle-length tan trench coat. She was currently smirking to herself as most of the other Jounin gave her a wide berth.

"from what I have observed he is quite adept in finding adequate shelter and food for himself … and as much as I know how dangerous it is out there, I am very happy to let him stay there … but … I need someone to teach him real survival skills so that he may survive on his own out there" spoke the Hokage as he watched a few Jounin look at him as if he were going senile. Sarutobi understood their looks, it was the forest of death … most Jounin didnt venture in there unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was at this moment that an ANBU spoke "Hokage-sama, is it wise to leave the boy in that kind of environment? The way I see it is that he'd be much better off living with someone to teach him everything he needs to know to function as a proper human being should, if he were to start becoming even slightly feral then he would only face more ridicule from the villagers upon his return"

"You raise a good argument Inu-san … however Naruto dislikes being in the village, staying in the forest is what's best for him at the moment and he seems to be adapting to his new environment quicker than most seasoned veteran shinobi could in this situation" the Hokage explained with a small amount of pride in his voice for the young boy.

After a long uncomfortable silence someone spoke up. It just so happened to be someone who was least expected to help the boy. A woman, known by everyone in the village, civilian and shinobi alike.

"I will teach the boy … I live at the central tower in the forest and I know the forest like the back of my hand, so I am best suited to teach him the skills he needs to survive" the same purple haired Jounin who spoke earlier stepped up to the Hokage's desk, arms crossed over her chest with a small smirk.

"Thank you Anko, is there anything you will be needing to help teach the boy?" asked Hiruzen as he dismissed the the rest of the rooms occupants, some decided to stay but those who were clearly disinterested left.

"Only one thing Hokage-sama … I request the Shodaimes contract for the boy as he may find himself in a situation where he needs reinforcements when I am not around" spoke Anko.

The rooms remaining occupants all stiffened … the Shodaime Hokage's summoning contract was among one of the most powerful and feared of the worlds known contracts …

"Anko …that contract hasn't been continued for a reason … If people found out it was still here we could be in serious trouble ..." spoke Hiruzen sternly as he gave Anko a hard look, making the Jounin flinch slightly.

"I know its a dangerous contract but what is the point of keeping it locked up, if Naruto became the new contract holder then he could have it left with the summons themselves to protect … besides we all know that despite the child's complete lack of current skill that he will surpass Shodaime in power … possibly even the Yondaime" reasoned Anko.

"And what if we do loose the contract … we only have the toad, dog, turtle, ape and Shodaime's contracts left … the serpent contract was lost with Orochimaru and Tsunade took the slug contract with her when she left the village" Hiruzen sighed, rubbing his temples in an attempt to rid of his growing headache.

There was a silence in the room until the old Hokage sighed in defeat, he had to admit that the logic bend Anko's argument was solid and more.

"Okay … he can have the contract … on one condition!" Hiruzen stated firmly, giving the purple haired Jounin a hard stare.

"What is it?" she asked flatly.

"You teach him everything he needs to know to become Genin … he will not be attending the academy, this means he will be apprenticed to you for the next few years … and when the time comes if you and he so wish you may take him as part of a three member Genin cell with yourself as the Jounin instructor … that is my offer, take it or leave it!" Hiruzen demanded as he took his pipe in his mouth and lit it with his fingertips, breathing in the rich tobacco before blowing the smoke out in front of him.

"I accept! Ill be starting straight away!" said Anko with an evil smirk and determination, she put her palms flat on the Hokage's desk and gave him a feral grin.

"Good! … you'll be paid an academy instructors wage weekly … you wont get many missions with an apprentice … but ill allow you both to do d-ranks" the Hokage smirked happily.

"Good … I'll be back for the contract when I know using Kuchiyose wont kill him" said Anko before she left out of the window and towards the forest of death to find her new play thing.

Only the Hokage, Inu, Hyate and several of the clan heads remained in the room once Anko had left.

"Hokage-sama … is it wise to let Anko teach the boy?" asked Hiashi, the Hyuga clan patriarch, his face showed a calm of almost inhuman proportions.

"I didnt hear anyone else jump to help the boy … besides I think he will be good for her … and on the plus side … with her teaching him along with how strong he will get, i would bet this hat that it will be Naruto who eventually defeats Orochimaru and rips his rotting heart from his chest … after all … he is _his_ son … and he will one day inherit the same power, if not more" Spoke Sarutobi as he tapped the symbolic hat with his thumb.

"What if you're wrong?" asked Shikaku Nara, the Nara clan head.

"Naruto may hate the villagers … but he would never harm any of them … he's totally devoted to this village … its his dream to take this hat from me so the village will acknowledge his existence" Sarutobi explained with a laugh.

* * *

><p><strong>Training ground 44<strong>

a small blonde boy was sat in a tree, panting heavily as he stared down at the enraged wild boar that was currently attacking the very tree he had scrambled up to escape from it. He gripped his makeshift spear … crafted from a broken tree branch with a rusty kunai tied together by frayed and weak rope.

The boy took a deep breath before he steeled his nerves and jumped from the tree with the spear aimed for the boar.

The boy landed awkwardly as his spear landed on the boars back, barely breaking the thick furry skin on its back, seeing this, Naruto backed away as quick as he could, the boar charging at him. Time stood still for a single moment before the boar smashed into the ground head first, skidding to a stop with half a dozen long and thin double edged knives embedded deeply into the boars throat and body.

"So the little Hunter became the hunted" spoke a woman's voice with an amused tone from up in the tree that Naruto had backed himself up against.

Naruto quickly turned and backed away from the tree "Who are you? What do you want?" demanded the seven year old as he grabbed his spear and held it up defensively in front of him.

The woman dropped out of the tree and simply smiled sadistically "My name is Mitirashi Anko … and you're in my forest brat!"

"I don't see your name on it!" retorted the blonde, glaring at the woman before him, pointing the spear at her.

"Ha … There's a tower at the centre of the forest … I live there, that makes the entire area that is fenced off around it my property … and you're trespassing" Anko said with a sadistic smirk.

Naruto began to panic, he didn't want to leave the forest and go back to the apartment where villagers could find him.

Seeing the panic in the boys eyes, Anko laughed "Don't worry kid … I'm here to train you to survive on your own out here, but you'll be staying at the tower with me for the meantime" Anko explained.

"Why?" Naruto asked blankly.

"What?" asked Anko curiously.

"Why would you help me … no one else would why would you care? ... why would anyone care about what happens to me?" Naruto stated as if it were fact.

"Well you're wrong … the Hokage asked me to train you … so that's one person who cares … and I accepted, so that's two people … besides I can relate to your pain of being pushed out of the village" said Anko as she retrieved her blades from the boar, her back turned to the small child.

"You too?" the boy asked quietly.

"Yep, how did you think I ended up here in the first place?" Anko asked.

Naruto glanced at Anko carefully and walked over with his makeshift spear when Anko spoke up to him.

"Might as well leave it … the blade is in bad condition" she said as she walked over to him, pointing at his 'spear'.

"But I need some sort of weapon don't I?" he asked as he looked at her and then around at the forest.

A kunai landed between Naruto's feet, making the seven year old jump slightly.

"There … you get one Kunai for now … when you advance in training you'll get another … and then another … you have to earn your right to use these tools under my guidance … do you understand?" she spoke in a tone that clearly, she meant business.

"Understood Anko" replied the boy with a small smile of determination.

"It's Anko-sensei to you brat" she said as she ruffled the blondes hair with a slight smile ' maybe this will be more fun than I first expected' she thought to herself as she lead Naruto to the tower at the centre of the forest of death.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors notes.<strong>

**So here it is, re-done, added to it and I will work the story a similar way as the old version. Let me know what you think, cause I'm torn between re-doing the entire story or scrapping it completely.**

**Anyway I hope it is better than it was and i'd like some feedback, also I'd like to just say that the teams will be the same and although I appreciate some of the helpful ideas people have given me, I see Naruto as an only child with no family, I'm not a major Sakura fan myself, but I have plans for her. I don't do harem stories an I detest in any way shape or form the idea that Hinata should be with anyone but Naruto.**


	2. Five years later

**Five years later**

The past five years were hard for Uzumaki Naruto. His sensei and training methods were hard and brutal not to mention excruciatingly painful as some of his scars will attest to. Anko had literally trained him straight into the hospital on a few occasions but he had never complained, never refused her training or methods and for that he had gained a lot of respect from not only Anko but anyone who had trained with her before.

Anko had completely destroyed Naruto's body and from the smouldering ashes she built him anew, strong, fast, smart and just as sadistic as herself when the occasion called for it. Naruto had changed so dramatically he had discarded his orange jumpsuit and opted for a full black outfit consisting of black combat pants a black long sleeved shirt and black zori. Over his shirt he wore a standard issue ANBU flack jacket in black and had the same standard issue ANBU greaves covering his lower legs. He also held two Wikizashi horizontally against his lower back at all times as well as a pair of shuriken holsters and two dark grey utility pouches. Over his forearms and wrists were a pair of retractable wrist blades that Naruto had built himself and had managed to make the two wrist blades with firing mechanisms to shoot the blades from his wrists at the enemy. _(think of a predator's wrist blade vambraces except with straight edged Katana styled blades and only a single blade per wrist …. for now)._

To top it all off he had recently been given his Hitai-ate, signifying he was now a shinobi of his village and he displayed his headband proudly on his forehead. He currently stood in a large grassy clearing within the forest of death, surrounded by several clones of himself, all wielding different weapons.

The first clone charged.

Naruto readied his wrist blades and blocked a powerful spinning strike from the clone before roundhouse kicking the clone into another headed for himself. He deflected a Katana strike, the momentum of the clones attack left it unbalanced and open. Naruto seized the opportunity with vicious speed, driving one one of his blades into the offending clones throat, spurting blood all over his forearm before decapitating the clone with his free arm.

Naruto grunted in pain, turning to find a clone had drove its spear into his calf and ripped it out with a twist before Naruto was forced to dodge and deflect a series or lightning fast jabs and swipes from the clone. He swerved around a lunge strike by the clone and swiped the clone across the chest with his right arm, gashing the clones chest open and reacted quickly aiming his left wrist at the clone and firing the blade from the vambrace at point blank range, tearing into the clones chest with a sickening snapping sound.

Once again Naruto found himself assaulted by a chained Kama aimed to remove his head. He raised his right arm to deflect the oncoming attack whilst at he same time grabbing the weapons chain and ripping it towards himself and the clone along with it through the air, only for the clones face to be impacted with his left fist and thrown skidding along the ground from the force of the blow.

The last clone charged in, utilising the same wrist blades as its creator. The clone managed to get through Naruto's defence and heel kicked Naruto up into the air. Naruto flipped in mid air and landed on top of the clone he had shot with his blade before pushing the end of the blade into the open slot of his vambrace, securing it in place with a metallic click. He stood, ripping the still embedded blade from the clones chest. He stared at his clone as they slowly circled one another.

A gentle breeze blew by, a leaf danced in the air between them and gently fell to the ground. In that instant the entire area was a scene of black and blonde blurs, sparks flew about the area as the distinct sound of metal hitting metal could be heard. Naruto and the clone suddenly appeared at opposite sides of the field from one another, both breathing hard as they stared at each other.

They leapt at each other once more, engaging in their deadly dance of blades, slash for slash they both were even until Naruto ducked low, slashing the clone above the knee with a fluid strike before rolling under the clones own swipe and around behind it before plunging both wrist blades into the clones lower back and with a single quick and powerful motion he pulled his arms wide of each other, causing blood to spurt in an arc all around the clone as it fell forward onto the now crimson speckled grass.

All at once the clones dispersed along with their weapons, leaving the area looking completely untouched. Naruto stood and retracted the blades into his vambraces and set to tending to his wounded leg with a weak medical jutsu one of the nurses at the hospital had taught him after the fifth time Anko's training had put him in there.

Naruto heard someone clapping as they approached him and turned his head to see who had been watching him to find non other than the Hokage himself, Anko and a few other Jounin.

"Hokage-sama …. everyone else, to what do I owe the pleasure?" asked Naruto with a small smile.

"Myself and some of the other Jounin were curious about your progression and I must say that was an impressive display of talent, could you explain the training as I am curious as to why you would fight kage bunshin when you are easily able to defeat them?" asked the ageing Hokage with a smile.

"I didn't use any Chakra in that fight whatsoever … and by training this way, I increase my endurance, stamina and hand to hand fighting skills by using the clones memories to analyse every detail of the fight … also if I am ever caught in the situation where I'm low on Chakra or I am in sensitive situation where using Chakra would have me exposed to the enemy then sharpening my hand to hand combat without the use of Chakra could mean the difference between a successful mission and a brutal bloody death" Naruto explained with a small smile to the group, earning nods of approval from a few people and the Hokage as where as Anko just smirked proudly at her prodigy student.

" And what would you do if in the event you were discovered in that exact situation?" asked the Hokage with a smirk.

Naruto thought for a moment and smirked the same way in which Anko usually did, which unnerved people that she had rubbed off on him perhaps a bit too much.

"I would strap myself with every explosive tag I have and take out as many as I can before I can fight no more and then detonate the tags for good measure, giving any team-mates ample time to retreat safely" said Naruto as he stood, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And that is why you deserve your Hitai-ate" said the Hokage with a broad smile before he glanced to Anko.

"You've trained him well Anko … I'm proud of both of you" he said with a full smile.

"Thank you Hokage-sama" Anko bowed.

"Hey Naruto … how did you get kage bunshin to last until after death?" coughed a Jounin in the standard Jounin attire with a Katana strapped to his back and his headband worn as a bandanna.

"It's real simple Hyate-sensei … simply put they are super charged … each are made with 90% of my Chakra rather than distributing the Chakra evenly between them, It took me several days to create all the clones and have enough Chakra back myself to fight them … they are infective in combat as they will drain your Chakra pools but they are useful, if extremely risky distractions to escape enemies" Naruto explained

"I have never seen kage bunshin utilised in such a way before ..." spoke another Jounin, clearly impressed.

"even Kakashi's Raiton kage bunshin aren't as resilient as these" another Jounin spoke with a small laugh.

"Naruto, I would like for you to write down everything you know about this supercharged kage bunshin for the forbidden scroll" spoke Hiruzen as he smiled.

"I'll have it done for you and deliver it myself tomorrow" Naruto replied before he spoke "I know its rude of me but maintaining kage bunshin for so long has left myself with an appetite only Ichiraku ramen stand can fill" Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

'It's good to see he still retains a bit of his childish antics' Hiruzen thought before he laughed "Go on ahead Naruto, but ill need you at my office at about 2pm okay?" asked the Hokage with a smile.

"no problem, see you later everybody!" Naruto said before he leapt off toward the village to go and fulfil his absolute reason for living … to eat impossible amounts of ramen. He thought about the day he had gotten his headband … he had been given a challenge by Anko to steal a certain book from one of the villages top Jounin. He had barely completed the challenge without being murdered by an enraged silver haired Jounin who had chased him clear across the village several times over before he was able to evade him completely by creating over 20 kage bunshin to scatter and confuse him. Naruto laughed a little at the memory as he hopped down between two buildings and down to the ground in an alley way across from Ichiraku ramen stand, one of the few places within the village he liked.

He walked in, using his arm to move the flap out of the way as he greeted the ramen stand owners with a smile.

"Hey Teuchi-ojisan! Ayame-chan!"

"Naruto! It's good to see you again! And with a Hitai-ate, congratulations! Your first bowl is on the house … the usual order I presume?" asked Teuchi with a huge smile as Ayame gave Naruto a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"congratulations Naruto-kun!"

"Thanks guys … yeah the usual order please Teuchi-ojisan!" Naruto replied and waited for his order, talking with Ayame in the mean time.

"So how's your training coming along?" asked the brunette teen.

"I must be doing good if the Hokage is putting one of my techniques in the forbidden scroll … I have to admit I only tweaked the jutsu slightly from its original use … the best part is I have a theory in which I can make it even better" said Naruto with a grin.

"Wow that's really something Naruto-kun" Ayame beamed at him before ruffling his hair, much to the blondes annoyance which made Ayame smile all the more.

Then it came … his ramen, his one true love, his absolute reason for living. He inhaled its aroma and shivered slightly before breaking apart his chopsticks and digging in, savouring the flavour of every single mouthful, even if he was rushing his meal … after all he did have another eleven bowls to get through before 2pm …

Once Naruto finished he patted his stomach and paid for his meal before getting up and heading to the Hokage tower on foot seeing as he had about twenty minutes to kill before he needed to be there. He noticed as he walked that a lot of villagers ushered there children away from him and a lot openly stared or glared toward him. He would be lying if he said he could ignore them completely but a part of him was always on edge around the civilian population. He simply walked on when something hit him and fell to the ground.

Naruto looked down to see a small girl there on the floor, rubbing her cheek.

"Hi there … what's your name?" Naruto asked as he held a hand out to help the girl up. The small girl reached for his hand but Naruto was suddenly shoved out of the way by what he assumed was the girls mother.

"Stay away from my daughter you monster!" she commanded in a harsh voice as she picked up her daughter and ushered her away from Naruto.

Naruto simply watched her walk away "what the hell are these people's problem?" he asked himself in frustration before he walked onward to see the Hokage.

He arrived shortly after the incident in the street and went to knock on the Hokage's office door when the secretary called out to him "He's busy! Go away!" she snarled.

Naruto spared her a glance before he simply walked into Sarutobi's office and closed the door behind himself, turning to look at the Hokage as he looked up from his paperwork.

"You know … your supposed to knock" the old Hokage stated with a small smirk.

"And secretaries are supposed to be polite … so what do you need me for?" asked Naruto just as Anko entered the room through the window.

Sarutobi sighed slightly at the manner in which Anko had started to enter his office recently "tell me about it, bitch has a tree branch stuck up her ass or something" Anko agreed.

Hiruzen gestured for the two to sit down in front of his desk before he began to speak...

"This is about team assignments for today's graduating academy students … seeing as Naruto has the most experience out of any of this years Genin … I have decided to let you both decide who you want on your team … within reason of course, cant have you picking the strongest of the lot … I need the teams as balanced as possible" Hiruzen said as he handed a stack of folders over to Naruto and Anko who quickly skimmed through each of them.

He noticed Naruto hold onto a single file and set it aside before he continued browsing.

Anko didn't really care all that much, to be honest she was happy with letting Naruto choose as it was him that would have to work with them more than herself. She gave the files to Naruto and he skimmed through them. After a few moments Naruto picked out another file before he placed a neat pile of folders on the Hokage's desk.

"You've chosen?" asked Hiruzen, to which Naruto nodded and handed the two files over.

The Hokage looked the files over and his eyebrows raised "You do like a challenge don't you … you do realise that you may have to work on some team building exercises with them and get both in decent shape before you take on even low C-ranks" Hiruzen stated as even he was shocked with his choices.

"I'm positive … and I know that our work is cut out for us … I'll pick them up from the academy myself tomorrow, I know Anko-sensei has a mission tomorrow … so ill get them properly dressed and equipped for actual missions then run them though the training plan we have been talking about … from what I've heard about Genin cells, the team only gets serious about the job once someone on the team gets killed. I don't want that happening to my own team" Naruto said as he looked between the Hokage and Anko.

"Why didnt you take the Uchiha?" asked Sarutobi curiously.

"Honestly … I knew what this meeting was about before we came here, I've been observing possible candidates, knowing who had passed yesterday let me quickly choose who I wanted on my team and I didnt make my decisions lightly … I've observed the class for some time and the Uchiha is arrogant and selfish, he thinks of nothing but his own advancement in power … if anything he's the graduate who poses the biggest risk to himself and his team …" Naruto explained.

The Hokage nodded his head, not that Naruto could have chosen him anyway but everyone seemed to worship the ground the Uchiha walked on, including the civilian side of the council of Konoha.

"Then its settled … Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto are now team seven under Mitirashi Anko. Good look … both of you" Hiruzen said before he dismissed them both from his office to get back to the most evil and dreaded force in the elemental nations … paperwork. It wasn't until he left the room he noticed a note left on his desk, he picked it up and read it.

"Kage bunshin is handy for doing huge amounts of tedious training in a short amount of time … Naruto."

for the first time in years Sarutobi Hiruzen, the man hailed as the god of shinobi by enemies and allies alike was dumbstruck that a mere Genin could defeat an enemy he had been fighting for over forty years of his life.

"That kid is going to be Hokage one day" Sarutobi said as he rubbed his temples before using the kage bunshin technique to divide and conquer the life sucking paperwork on his desk.

Meanwhile Naruto and Anko were headed back to the forest when Anko had to ask what had been on her mind when she left the office.

"Why those two?" she asked plainly.

"Because I think we can use their abilities quite well … the Haruno girl has perfect Chakra control so we should work with her to use Genjutsu, a skill that I myself do not have adequate control for and the Hyuga's eyes and Taijutsu are good not to mention her profile says she makes healing salves … if we could get her some medic training then I think we will have the perfect team, myself being the weapons and Ninjutsu specialist" he said with a smile at his own reasoning.

"that's a pretty smart idea brat …" Anko complimented him and surprised he had made such plans with only briefly scanning the files.

"I aim to please!" Naruto grinned at her.

They stopped on a large branch, overlooking an elegantly built two story tree house of relative size, a gift Anko had presented him for his birthday during their second year of training. Anko had had 'persuaded' one of her ANBU friends to build it in secret for her student as she herself had a few bad habits and Naruto hated being around her when she was relaxing.

The tree house itself was well hidden, high up off the ground and the surrounding tree's were littered with traps to stem the approach of unwanted guests, be it shinobi or beasts of the forest.

Naruto turned and smiled at Anko "I'm gonna turn in early tonight … after all I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long and stressful day"

"Okay brat, good look tomorrow … let me know how you get on" the Jounin replied before bounding off to the central tower, aka Anko land as she liked to call it as it was often used in the Chunin exams which by her explanation made the forest come to life with the screams and the blood that gets spilt …

Naruto jumped over to the tree house and walked along the wide deck outside the house until he reached the front door. He unlocked the door and entered, locking up behind himself as was his habit before he made his way upstairs to the bathroom for a shower. then he would have an instant cup ramen before finally going to bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Ive fixed spelling mistakes, added to some things very briefly and ill update the third chapter tomorrow when I wake up.<strong>

**Hope youve enjoyed it so you better review D:**


	3. Team 7

**Team seven**

Naruto woke up to the sound of tapping, he sat up whilst rubbing his eyes before he looked to the window to find a small sparrow tapping at his bedroom window. He pulled the bed sheets from himself and walked to the window in only a pair of boxers and opened the window to find the bird had a message attached to its leg. Naruto took the note carefully, holding the small bird gently so as not to hurt it. Finally getting the note off, Naruto let the bird fly off from his hand. Unravelling the note he read it out loud to himself, still slightly sleepy.

"Be at the academy for 1pm" the blonde frowned and then it snapped, he was to meet his team today as Anko was unavailable to pick them up, it was now down to him. He looked over at his alarm clock and saw he had a few hours to kill. He quickly got a shower and got dressed, eating a small breakfast of honey-loop cereal before he armed himself with his usual weapon, making sure he had plenty of wire.

"Three and a half hours to kill before I pick up my team-mates … time to go and kill something for dinner tonight …" Naruto spoke to himself as he walked out of his tree-house, locking it behind him.

"Now … what should I get … boar …. or snake?"

* * *

><p><strong>At the academy - 1pm.<strong>

"Team seven will consist of Haruno Sakura, Hyuga Hinata and …" a Chunin spoke, a horizontal scar reaching cheek to cheek and running over his nose. He had a light tan and brown hair, pulled back neatly into a ponytail.

"Who else, Iruka-sensei?" asked a girl wearing a red dress with long flowing bubblegum pink hair, a Konoha Hitai-ate holding her hair back from her face.

"I don't know Sakura … all I can tell you is that Mitirashi Anko is your Jounin instructor … which probably means ..." the now identified Iruka explained before the door to his class room opened and a blonde haired boy entered the room clad in all black, including the black ANBU armour.

Naruto surveyed the room with a critical eye, arms crossed over his chest.

"Ah Naruto! … its good to see you, finally got your Hitai-ate too I see …" Iruka greeted the blonde.

"I'm doing well thank you Iruka … I'm just here to pick up my team-mates … Anko sensei is on a mission" Naruto replied to the Chunin with a smile. Naruto heard the door of the classroom slide open, Naruto turned his head to Find Mizuki, Iruka's teaching assistant walking into the room with a stack of papers.

"What are you doing here brat?" Mizuki sneered at Naruto.

"Nice to see you too, here let me help you with those paper's" Naruto said seriously, never taking his eyes from Mizuki's. Naruto reached out as if to help but instead, he simply slapped the stack of papers from Mizuki's arms and smiled as they scattered all over the floor.

Naruto's features shifted dangerously as he grasped the hilt of one of his Wikizashi, drawing the blade and inch from its scabbard, all the while giving Mizuki a sadistic glare as he spoke, every word dripping with hatred for the silver haired Chunin.

"Better watch who your speaking too … next time ill put you in hospital again"

Mizuki glared up at Naruto as he hurriedly picked up the scattered papers.

Turning back to the class he spoke as he picked out faces he knew of in the crowd "I'm here to pick up Haruno Sakura and Hyuga Hinata for team seven … Anko could not make it to pick you up today so if you would follow me ladies, I will explain everything you need to know about our training and missions together from now on as team seven" the blonde explained as he waited for the girls, who got up from there seats and started to walk down to the front of the class when a voice shot from the far end of the room.

"Who are you?"

the blonde looked over to the boy who had spoken, finding a boy with bitch black hair, spiking out at the back of his head and dark eyes, wearing a dark blue shirt and a Hitai-ate around his forehead … Uchiha Sasuke … Naruto knew who this kid was … and wasn't going to stroke his ego by giving him anything.

"That's not really your concern now is it?" the blonde said. He motioned for the girls to follow him and swatted the stack of papers from Mizuki's hands once again on his way out of the door.

Iruka sighed and gave Mizuki a small glare "You should know better than to upset him, especially knowing who he is and who taught him"

Naruto lead the two girls out of the classroom and to the roof of the academy. Once he had them sat down he leaned against the railings and waited for the two girls to take a seat on the steps in front of him. He looked them over with a critical eye, taking not that Sakura didnt seem to care much and Hinata flinched under his gaze. He then started to speak with a smile.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto … and I am your new team-mate and ill also be helping Anko-sensei train you properly … we both want you prepared for shinobi life" Naruto introduced himself with a smile.

"But we've had four years at the academy, we're already ready for missions" said Sakura as if what the boy before her was saying was complete crap.

Naruto smirked "So you think your ready for this life?"

Sakura nodded adamantly.

"you know … a previous team some years ago thought so too … they thought they were capable of starting missions straight away and they were capable, however … on their third c-rank mission they were ambushed by Nuke-nin … leading to two of the three Genin being slaughtered mercilessly before their sensei could step in … all because their skills were still academy level … do you know who's team that was?" asked Naruto with a small smile as he looked up at the sky, leaning back with his hands on the railings.

"Who's t-team w-was it?" stuttered the shy Hyuga.

"Namikaze Minato's, the fourth Hokage when he was just a Genin … under the training of the toad sage, Jiraiya" Naruto said as his eyes trailed down to the two girls, their mouths agape with shock.

"They died needlessly because they didnt sharpen their skills like Minato did and that's why they died and he was able to hold off the Nuke-nin long enough for Jiraiya to arrive and deal with them" Naruto told the story with a small smile.

"But the leaf was at war then! We wont encounter other ninja on c-ranks!" Sakura protested.

"In the blink of an eye a war can start … Konoha has enemies … and a lot of them … Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru of the Dentetsu no Sannin … the list goes on … and that list includes Iwagakure … another of the big five hidden villages … and our relations with Kumo are strained … and as for our relations with kiri are none existent ... the fact of the matter is ... that no matter how unlikely it is that you'll encounter enemy shinobi ... it can and still does happen regularly" Naruto explained.

"That's why we wont be taking C-rank missions until I know we are ready … that's why Anko-sensei and I have a plan for your training … we will start training tomorrow at 8AM till 12PM followed by a break for lunch until 1Pm … then we will be taking D-rank missions until 6Pm, Monday to Friday, the weekend is free for you to relax, train or whatever" Naruto explained, causing the girls eyes to widen.

"All that time? You cant be serious!" asked Sakura. Clearly she was expecting a few hours of training a week and a few missions whilst having plenty of time to relax.

"I'm deadly serious … and if you're late, you will do extra training on top … if you fall behind, you'll end up in hospital, especially with Anko-sensei's physical training techniques, believe me I know first hand" Naruto warned the two girls "Anko-sensei isn't going to hold your hand on missions ... she expects us to be able to handle ourselves without her help ... and she will make sure that you can ... she will break bones if she has to ... it will happen"

Both girls suddenly looked uneasy and unsure of themselves all of a sudden.

"Hey … so long as you both put the effort in, there's no reason as to why you shouldn't get strong, I've been training with Anko-sensei for five years straight" Naruto laughed "she's tough but she's good"

There was an awkward silence until Naruto broke it.

"So tell me about yourselves? Likes, dislike, hobbies and dreams … that sort of stuff" Naruto smiled brightly at the two girls "Hinata, why don't you go first?"

"W-well … I am t-the heiress t-to the Hyuga cl-clan and m-my likes include ci-cinamon buns, m-making my own he-healing salves a-and m-my favourite animal is a f-fox" the girl paused before she took a deep breath and continued "I d-dislike ignorant p-people … rapists and the H-Hyuga elders. I g-get nervous around l-large groups a-and I t-tend to fidget a lot … m-my dream is t-to b-become a good K-Kunoichi and earn th-the r-respect of m-my c-clan" the petite girl said as she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Cool … and you Sakura?"

"I like to relax with my friends … which I now can't do … I like to read, solve puzzles and I like Uchiha Sasuke and hope to gain his approval of my skills as a Kunoichi. I dislike perverts, including rapists, insects, loud people and now I dislike you … very much" said Sakura with a blank stare at her new blond team-mate.

Naruto openly laughed "You dislike me now, wait until tomorrows training, if your lucky, Anko will start you both off slowly and ease you into training … but there's absolutely no chance at all of that happening … you either learn quick or die with Anko-sensei"

If Sakura looked annoyed before, she was scowling now, clearly she was living in a dream world of grand missions, saving princesses, battling evil men and saving the day when reality was much much more bloody and violent, as was human nature … clearly she still had the mindset of a child playing ninja … it would be fun watching her break. Naruto spared a glance at Hinata and noticed she was staring at Sakura with an odd look, clearly she was much more mentally prepared for the road ahead.

"What about you then?" Sakura spoke harshly.

"My Name is Uzumaki Naruto … I like training, ramen and my friends … I dislike perverts, Mizuki-teme and the general populace of the village … My dream is to become Hokage and surpass all the previous Hokage" Naruto said with a smile.

"Now that introductions are out of the way … empty your utility pouches and shuriken holster's contents onto the ground …" Naruto said as he pushed himself off the railing and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why?" asked Sakura, not keen on just dumping her possessions on the ground.

"Just do it, it will save you time tomorrow … and quite possibly a lot of pain too, as I am much more lenient than Anko-sensei" the blonde explained with a slight tone of annoyance.

Sakura sighed as she, along with Hinata emptied their weapons and equipment onto the ground and then watched as Naruto knelt down and inspected Sakura's first. Naruto knelt and picked up a kunai from her pile before he spoke to her.

"Sakura … your kunai are blunt and this one" he held the kunai in his hand up "is bent to fuck … your shuriken are blunt, wire is tangled and knotted and you don't even have a first aid kit or soldier pills … and why the hell is there more make-up and perfume than anything else?" he gave the girl a stern look "Are you serious about being a Kunoichi? Because by looking at this … its not convincing … bin it! … all of it!" he said sternly as Sakura huffed and started to pick up her equipment.

Naruto moved over to Hinata's pile and knelt down to inspect it "Hinata … you have only six Kunai, ten shuriken and a basic first aid kit and at least you have a neatly kept reel of wire but … why do you have so few kunai and shuriken?" asked Naruto, he was annoyed with both the girls lack of or poor condition of equipment.

"M-my clan only al-allows us t-to c-carry s-so many we-weapons" Hinata explained nervously.

"That was lesson one, equipment check and maintenance of said equipment … you both failed. Lesson two … What in Kami's name are you both wearing?" Naruto asked, shaking his head.

"What's wrong with our clothes?" Sakura demanded, clearly quite annoyed.

"What's wrong? I could see you easily in the dark with those clothes and if I can see you, assume the enemy can as well … you might as well wear a neon orange jumpsuit next to that dress … and I can smell you if you wear perfume" Naruto said, giving Sakura a very direct stare at the end.

"The bright colours have to go … thankfully, know just the place to go for the things we need" Naruto said as he stood and motioned for the girls to follow him. He lead them into the market district of Konoha when Naruto stopped and turned to his new team-mates. He gave Sakura a thoughtful look before he spoke to her " Sakura could I see your utility pouch for a second?"

Sakura sighed in annoyance but handed over her utility pouch, only for Naruto to throw it into a trash can "I told you to bin it"

"Hey! that's got all my make-up in it!" she nearly screamed as she moved toward the bin to retrieve her belongings.

"Go on then, fish it out the trash, I dare you to turn up tomorrow wearing make-up or with make-up … Anko-sensei will literally kill you, she detests Kunoichi who spend more time looking good than improving their skills" Naruto warned the pink haired girl in a deadly serious tone.

Sakura growled at Naruto … how did she end up on this team anyway … she was supposed to end up with Sasuke …

"Follow me, I'll show you where to buy real weapons … not those cheap toys the academy tells you to buy" Naruto said as he lead the girls into an old store and continued to lead them to the front counter where a woman was stood with long black hair and piercing green eyes . Upon seeing Naruto the woman smiled and greeted him immediately.

"Back again I see Naruto-kun, what will you be needing?" asked the woman in a friendly voice.

"I need both of my new team-mates measured and outfitted properly, the academy obviously isn't drilling in the concept of stealth like it used too" Naruto said as he leaned on the counter, looking up at the woman who looked past Naruto's shoulder to see what she was working with before she looked back to Naruto and gave him a bored look.

"It's lovely to see you again too Aki-chan" Naruto smiled at the woman who laughed.

" Okay, come out to the back girls, ill get you both kitted out properly" Aki said as she motioned for Hinata and Sakura to follow her. All three girl disappeared leaving Naruto in the main shop, waiting patiently. After about twenty minutes, both his team-mates and Aki returned, both girls now dressed in all black much like Naruto.

Sakura now wore a loose, short sleeved black shirt and black cargo pants, tapped at the ankle with dark bindings and black zori. Over her shirt was the same styled black ANBU flack jacked and she wore black ANBU style arm guards and greaves. For some reason she had a small smile on her face.

Hinata on the other hand wore exactly the same outfit except her shirt was a long-sleeve and she herself look pleased, if slightly embarrassed by the form fitting clothes Aki had picked out for her. She stood, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Well … how do you feel?" asked Naruto.

"Slightly stupid …" Sakura said.

"and you Hinata?"

"uncomfortable w-without m-my jacket" she managed to say with a blush.

"well if you dress like serious shinobi, you'll be treated as such" Naruto smiled at the two girls who after a moment nodded at his logic.

'Maybe getting rid of the jacket will do her confidence some good' Naruto thought to himself as he glanced at Hinata.

"10 of each outfit please Aki, minus the armour and zori, thy will only need a single set of those for now" Naruto said, turning to the dark haired woman who simply smiled and nodded in reply. Once Aki had everything ready and bagged, Naruto paid for the clothes himself and led the girls out of the shop, saying goodbye to Aki as they went.

"Right … next thing we need is to get you both proper weapons and equipment" Naruto said as he lead the girls off again and into an old run down weapons shop. The outside of the building was misleading however, as the inside was clearly a store of high quality forged weapons.

"Muramasa-san!" Naruto called out loud, gaining the attention of a very tall, broad shouldered and well muscled man.

"AH! Naruto! What can I do for you today … and by the way, I finished your special order!" the man greeted in a deep rumbling voice as he grinned at the blonde.

"I would like for you to equip my two new team-mates please, allow me to introduce you ladies to Muramasa-san, the absolute weapons master of Konoha! Muramasa-san these are my team-mates Haruno Sakura and Hyuga Hinata" Naruto motioned to the two girls.

"Ah! It is a pleasure to meet you both" said muramasa with a smile as he went about his task. After a few moments, he returned to the front desk and placed a number of items in two separate piles upon it.

"It is fact that an Iwagakure Genin can easily beat a Konohagakure Genin in a fight with only weapons … this is because the academy is comfortable with letting students practice with weapons that are badly crafted and are of a bad quality … Kunai and shuriken" Muramasa paused pointing to the sets on the counter "are essential for trapping, distractions and hand to hand combat …now … normally your academy toys are made of iron, cheap nasty metal that chips, rusts and bends easily … these are made of the highest quality carbon steel … twenty five each and fifty shuriken each two reels of wire each, a set of soldier pills and a medium first aid kit each too … is there anything I've missed Naruto?" muramasa finished, looking up from the two stacks of items.

"Explosive notes, smoke bombs and blank scrolls Muramasa-san" Naruto said from the shops small book stand as he skimmed through a magazine on weapon forging.

Muramasa then added two blank scrolls on each stack, followed by ten explosive notes and three smoke bombs each. Hinata and Sakura were wide eyed at the pile, they never would have guessed that Naruto carried all this equipment on him.

"All done Naruto! … and here are your special order's" muramasa said, gaining the blondes attention as he places a two and a half foot long package on the counter. Naruto replaced the magazine from where he had picked it up from and walked over to the counter.

"Girls, take a pile each … what's the damage to my wallet Muramasa-san?" asked Naruto with a grin.

"Not too bad this time, only five thousand one hundred and sixty two Ryo" Muramasa laughed.

Both girls looked at each other awkwardly as Naruto paid the man, further shocking the girls that the price hadn't fazed him even slightly and he even tipped the mammoth of a man for his services

"Thank you Muramasa-san …" Naruto spoke before leading the girls out of the shop, both carrying two separate bags, one for their new clothes, the other held their new weapons.

"All these weapons … you carry this amount on you all the time?" Sakura asked in slight shock.

"Nah ..." Naruto replied as he lead them off "I carry double that amount ... oh and your expected to have all that equipment with you on every mission and training session ... no exceptions"

Both girls gawked at him as he walked in front of them before he stopped and turned to them with a smile.

"Hmm tell you what … seeing as I've emptied just under half my wallet … why don't I treat you both to a late dinner at the Akimichi restaurant?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"I suppose so … its been a long day … and I feel I should just go with the flow to make things easy" Sakura said as she sighed, clearly fed up with the days events already.

Hinata on the other hand was fidgeting slightly but nodded anyway, out of the two girls Naruto knew he'd get on best with Hinata …he then lead them into the restaurant and they took a seat at a table.

"So … how long have you been Genin?" asked Sakura, mostly out of boredom as she looked over the menu.

"Four years … two month officially … I've been doing D-ranks since yourselves started the academy" Naruto explained.

"Um … I h-haven't s-seen you around the v-village b-before ..." Hinata spoke up, joining the conversation.

"Yeah do you live in a hole in the ground or something?" Sakura questioned with a slight smirk.

"Nah I live in a tree … and I don't live within the village populace, I find it more peaceful that way" Naruto replied, never taking his eyes off his menu.

Both girls looked at each other and back to Naruto strangely

"A tree?" Sakura asked confused.

"Yeah you know those massive brown things with the leaves ..." Naruto said, looking up from his menu with a blank expression.

"You are so weird" Sakura replied with a shake of her head.

Naruto just smirked and winked at Hinata who blushed, not able to hold back the small smile threatening to turn into laughter. A waitress soon made her way over to take the groups order and left to get their drinks.

"Well look here … we seem to have stumbled upon team seven ..." came a familiar voice from behind the two girls, Naruto looked up to see the same kid that had demanded his name in the academy classroom flanked by a boy with a grey jacket, red fang tattoo's on his face and a small puppy hanging out of his zipped up jacket. On the other side was a boy with dark sunglasses and a trench coat covering most of his body and face from view. Naruto wasn't stupid, he knew exactly who all three boys were, but he wasn't about to give in to the Uchiha boy's rude demand.

"Sakura what are you and the Hyuga wearing?" Sasuke asked with a sneer.

"Oh its my new outfit, do you like it? Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked hopefully.

"Hn … you look more idiotic than before" Sasuke sneered once more before he crossed his arms over his chest.

Hearing this both girls visibly deflated, looking down slightly, not unnoticed by Naruto.

"You!" the raven haired Uchiha pointed at Naruto, who was still looking at his menu and continued to do so, ignoring the boy.

"I'm talking to you!" Sasuke said annoyed as he ripped the menu from Naruto's hands and flung it across the table. Naruto sighed and looked at Sasuke with a sense of boredom.

"And?"

"And you should show an Uchiha the proper respect due … when I talk, you listen" Sasuke demanded with a glare.

"Is that so? … well then when I see an Uchiha that has earned my respect, I will do" Naruto replied with a serious calm to his voice.

"You would do well not to make an enemy of me … My name is Uchiha Sasuke, remember it … for one day you will be my subordinate" Sasuke stated as if it were a fact set in stone.

"Now … tell me your name!" Sasuke demanded for the second time that day.

"Okay, first you rudely demand my respect and name, you insult my team-mates and make a scene in a clan owned restaurant … how do you think he feels with you making a scene in here?" asked Naruto gesturing to the other two members of Sasuke's team.

"As if I care about their feelings, They are both below me and will only to slow myself down" Sasuke said, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto stared at the Uchiha, completley at a loss for words "If that is the case then you truly are a monster" Naruto said directly to Sasuke, then looked to the two boys beside him who were glaring at the Uchiha themselves.

"Gentleman, if I were you, I'd keep a close watch on your team-mate just in case he gets you killed to save his own worthless hide" Naruto said seriously with a tone of sympathy before Sasuke snarled and stormed off, the other two following behind him reluctantly.

"T-thank y-you Naruto" Hinata said quietly.

"Yeah … thanks" Sakura said quietly, her head still downcast slightly.

"Hey! don't you dare listen to the likes of him … you two are twice the person he will ever be! … besides, I think your outfit's make you look more professional and attractive" Naruto said seriously, both girls looking up at him with slight blushes.

"Food!" Naruto suddenly said excitedly as the waitress delivered both their drinks and order together, causing both girl to deadpan at his outburst.

* * *

><p><strong>I added some stuff, edited some stuff, fixed spelling mistakes … I had fun so I hope you enjoy it, for the first few chapters there will only be small changes. <strong>

**Aaaanyways read, review and most of all enjoy!.**


	4. Training !

**Training !**

Naruto had left the girls company after paying for dinner, telling them to be at training ground thirty nine at 8AM sharp the next day and then proceeded on his way toward the central tower of the forest of death to visit Anko, knowing she had well finished her mission and would be relaxing at home by now. Naruto arrived at the tower in just under a half hour after breaking the tree line and made his way inside via the balcony doors on the top floor of the five story building.

Upon entering the building, Naruto called out for Anko "Anko-sensei I'm back from the teem meeting!"

"I'm in here brat!" came Anko's voice from her living room.

Naruto walked into her living room only to sigh at the sight he beheld before his very eyes. Anko was sprawled on her couch in nothing put a pair of dark purple silk panties, reading the very same orange book he had liberated from the famous cop-cat, Hatake Kakashi for his Genin graduation exam.

"Anko …how many timed do I have to ask you, if you know I'm coming over, please put some clothes on or at least a shirt!" Naruto nearly screamed.

"This is my house, ill dress or undress as I please …by the sounds of things you don't like what you see, is my body ugly? Is that it?" Anko replied dangerously, her eyes shooting glares at him.

"I never said you didnt have a beautiful body" Naruto defended but she interrupted him...

"Then shut up you little pervert, enjoy the view most men would kill for and tell me how it went!" Snapped Anko, turning a page in the book.

"Good … both girls are properly equipped and are aware of our agreed weekly routine for training" Naruto said.

"Good … how did they seem physically and mentally?"

Naruto took a seat on the other side of the room and sighed, glancing over at Anko before addressing her question with a hint of concern in his voice. "The Hyuga girl is mentally prepared … the Haruno is still living in a fantasy … physically, they are both looking very weak … especially the Haruno, the Hyuga at least will have her family Taijutsu to fall back on … in short we've got a lot of work to do" Naruto gave his analysis.

"Fun stuff …" Anko said, bored as she turned another page in the book.

There was an awkward silence in the room, made worse by Anko turning her head to give Naruto a blank stare, to find him giving her a slight glare. Naruto was pissed off that she had used the excuse of his Genin test to get her hands on a book for her own viewing pleasures, not only that, she had warned him that should she catch him reading such smut she would have one of her venomous snake summons bite his manhood … repeatedly … though she had explained the punishment in much more vivid and gory detail.

"You warned me about reading that smut and then go and read it yourself? You're such a hypocrite!" Naruto stated with a sharp edge to his voice.

"I prejudged it … its not that bad if you don't mind the copious amount of absolute disgustingly hot and enticing sexual scenes .." Anko explained as she closed the book and sat up, a slight blush on her cheeks from reading the books adult contents.

"That is generally what is interpreted as pornography" Naruto shot an annoyed look at his sensei. In his mind it was smut, even if it may have an actual storyline … it was still smut to him.

"Hmm I need to get laid" Anko suddenly spoke. Naruto's eyes grew wide and he noticed Anko giving him a predatory smirk as she blushed slightly, licking her lips slightly. He started to sweat as she stood up slowly and took a step toward him.

Naruto immediately stood and got behind the chair he had previously been sat on.

"Oh Naruto-kun! Come here for a second, I want to teach you some new … techniques!" Anko said lustfully before she raised her arm, letting several snake shoot out of her arms to ensnare her prey as if it were natural.

"Shit!" the blonde cursed before rolling out of the way.

"Oh I love 'em feisty Naruto-kun!" Anko purred, giving the boy a predatory grin all the while licking her lips.

Naruto panicked before he shot out of the tower at his absolute top speed and ran for home. When Anko needed to get laid, as she puts it, meant you should get the fuck out of dodge asap … or face rape and a life of shame. This wasn't the first time Naruto found himself in this situation and she once chased him around the forest of death for a full three days, until a poor unsuspecting ANBU had come to deliver a message … he now partakes group therapy on a weekly basis: every Wednesday from 4:30pm – 6pm. Naruto could only imagine the horrors the poor bastard had to endure at the hands of his sadomasochistic sensei.

He shivered at the mere thought of sharing his fate.

Another time she had put another Jounin in hospital with two broken arms and multiple lacerations … not to mention the sheer mental strain she had inflicted upon him … he was now a permanent resident in Konohagakure Mental health ward at the hospital … apparently … resisting Anko had just as many dangers as letting her have her way .. and he was about to suffer neither if he could help it.

In actual fact … rape isn't the word for what Anko would do to to him if she caught him, hence the running at top speed for home where he could lock himself down and wait it out till morning, even then he doubted Anko wouldn't tear the forest apart looking for someone, anyone.

Then it came, and unbelievably loud, high pitched scream … and Naruto visibly relaxed … he was safe and some other person was now going to have to endure her all night long … better them than him, thankfully he had evaded her every time she had gotten like this so far, and it had actually helped him achieve a level of speed and evasion that most Chunin didnt have … they say the fear of death motivates one to survive unlike no other fear … Naruto would disagree, he would much rather face the Shinigami … hug the guy and beg him to take him than spend the night as Anko's plaything.

He slowed his pace down as he came upon his house and entered the building, locking it straight away once he was inside he sighed and run his hand through his hair before deciding on a shower to wash away the days dirt and stress as well as to calm him down from his hasty retreat from Anko.

He thought about the days events as he stood under the hot stream of water, the Uchiha had annoyed him, which was not an easy thing to do … he'd keep an eye on the stuck up prick in the future, then his thoughts shifted to his two team-mats, wondering if he had picked the right people, if they would die horribly tomorrow … finally his thoughts turned to the little girl in the market place from yesterday … he wondered if the girls mother was protective of her like that all the time, or was it just him … it seemed like it was just him, it usually was.

He sighed, stepping out of the shower and turning the water off, before grabbing a towel. Once he had dried off, he dressed in a pair of shorts and a loose t-shirt before making his way down stairs to sit and open his package from Muramasa's shop. Upon tearing through the packaging he pulled out two hilt-less blades made of a glimmering metal which held a blue-ish hue to the metal. He inspected the blades for blemishes and faults and was happy when he found none "Perfect" he whispered quietly to himself as he walked over to a large cabinet, opening it up and storing the blades inside before closing and locking it.

"I need to learn some sealing jutsu ..." Naruto mumbled as he looked as the locked cabinet, knowing that the lock wasn't going to stop people from getting into it he shrugged his shoulders and made his way to bed, only to hear another ear shattering scream come from the centre of the forest. He paused, a shiver creeping up his spine before continuing up to his room.

"Poor bastard will be in therapy for the next decade" he said to himself, getting into bed and little by little drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Next day<strong>

Naruto was already at the training ground with Anko, waiting for the two girls to show up. Naruto looked to find his sensei in an unusually happy mood, which was no surprise do to her nocturnal activities the previous night … at least her urges had been satisfied … for the moment.

"You look overly pleased with yourself … so who's the unlucky bastard?" asked Naruto.

Anko grinned evilly as she spoke "Umino Iruka … an academy Chunin instructor … he came to deliver a message from the Hokage but …. uhhh I forgot what he was saying before I …"

"I get the picture … I do not want details, thank you very much Anko-sensei … here they come" Naruto said, walking forward to greet the two girls. He smiled brightly as he waved the girls over.

"Good morning ladies, I hope you both slept well?" asked Naruto.

Both girls gave him a smile and gave a slight nod.

"Good now allow me to introduce you to our team sensei~" Naruto started but was interrupted by Anko.

Anko stepped forward and looked the two girls over "My Name is Mitirashi Anko … Anko-sensei to you both … and your own personnel hell starts today!" Anko's grin grew wider with every word.

"Right … I want laps around this training ground … full speed sprinting … we'll start at twenty laps" Anko smiled sweetly.

"Twenty laps? Are you serious!" Sakura all but screamed in horror.

"forty laps … want to make it sixty? Get running … go on … go!" Anko snarled and watched as both girls shot off around the training ground.

"Evasion and endurance training?" asked Naruto out of boredom from beside Anko.

"Yup" she said, watching the girls go for the sixth lap. Anko and Naruto then proceeded to take out a hand full of kunai each.

"Don t kill them Anko-sensei … just cut them" Naruto sighed.

"Don t worry yourself … it would be instantaneous" Anko spoke in mock hurt before she watched Sakura start to slow down after the eighth lap.

"I DIDNT SAY YOU COULD SLOW THE FUCK DOWN PINKIE! RUN! … FASTER!" Anko commanded in range, throwing one of her kunai to graze the back of one of Sakura's legs, prompting the girl to break out into a sprint for fear of her life, before she slowed slightly back to her regular pace … and it continued for another thirty-two laps … Hinata needing only three throws of kunai encouragement whilst Sakura needed around seven … eleven … nineteen, they lost count a while ago … they'd just count the cuts after they finished, not that they cared much to begin with.

"You were right brat" Anko growled at the blonde before looking at him "We definitely have a challenge on our hands here" she sighed, looking back to the two girls, who were now on all fours in front of them, panting.

"Oh stop complaining sensei … you love a challenge … especially one that involves elements of torture and pain" Naruto paused …

"You know it, I know it … and now Umino Iruka knows it" he finished with a sly grin, earning a sharp glare from the Jounin.

"Heh … the funny thing is he lasted longer than the others" Anko commented, causing Naruto to sigh in annoyance.

"Nor did I want or need to know of Umino-san's endurance … pain thresh hold ...whichever" Naruto stated bitterly as he watched the two girls slowly get to their feet.

"Okay, seriously … are you like … at all interested in women … men?" asked Anko seriously.

"Women … and yes I am" Naruto stated flatly, arms crossed over his chest.

"Is that why you've been watching the Hyuga's chest since she started running … they must be pretty big for her age to bounce like that" Anko teased him with a sneaky grin.

"... Fuck off" Naruto snapped at her. Truth be told he had caught himself glancing a few times but was he making it that obvious that Anko could tell also? He simply shrugged it off and continued to watch the girls progress.

The rest of the morning consisted of forcing the two girls to do press-ups with weights on their backs, gradually getting heavier over time … the worst part was that if they stopped, the weight was doubled and the exercise started over, this of course lead to Hinata finishing a short while before Sakura but not by much. Sakura was already exhausted by this point and groaned when she found there was a lot more to come. She openly cursed whatever force had placed her on this team, failing to notice Naruto sneeze several times.

Next was a personal favourite by Naruto … the girls were instructed to walk, waist deep up a a raging river, against the river's flow, he had told the girls to use Chakra to grip themselves to the river bed, but the force of the fast moving waters made it next to impossible to stand, let alone concentrate Chakra. Once again Hinata proved to be more resilient than Sakura, due to having absolute perfect Chakra control, as was expected of the Hyuga clan.

And finally was Anko's personal favourite … the exercise consisted of evading, dodging and running from over twenty of her fastest snake summons, none of them small either. It was at that moment that the group discovered Sakura's general phobia of serpents … which only fuelled Anko's enjoyment and Naruto's slight amusement.

Naruto hadn't been kidding when he said he was by far more lenient than Anko … he was a saint compared to the sadistic slave driver … their training was only supposed to last from 8Am till 12Pm … it was now 6:30Pm … and the girls were struggling to keep up with their new sensei's relentless snake summons.

"I'm not satisfied with this at all … we only managed to finish half of what we planned" Anko said to Naruto quietly as she glanced at the boy, who was at that moment in time using the Kage bunshin technique to train his Chakra control by balancing a leaf on the tip of his nose by the leafs stem.

"They are academy students, and they aren't stamina freaks of nature like I am" Naruto said, keeping his eyes closed so as to try and keep his concentration.

"Not good enough … right girls … one more exercise and we'll call it a day!" Anko shouted to the girls, shaking her head slightly as they were once again on the floor panting.

"The Hyuga girl is impressive … ill give her that, she's taking everything we throw at her … and she's not complaining … the Haruno is getting on my last nerve though ..." Anko spoke quietly to Naruto.

"Give them time, they will get faster within the next two weeks … just as I did, they are stronger then I was at this stage of my training" Naruto said, opening one eye to look at Anko.

"You could do this exercise in two hours when you were nine years old Naruto … face it, the academy's standards are parenthetically low, They had better improve if they wish to keep up with us on missions … and survive those missions" Anko sighed in annoyance.

"Tomorrow I'll join in on the exercise … after all we are a team and this sort of exercise is what bonds team-mates together" Naruto stated calmly.

"I suppose you are right … " Anko chirped with a feral grin as the two girl literally crawled toward them, dirty, wet and exhausted

"S-senei … w-were finished … w-whats next?" Asked Hinata, panting as she pushed herself to at least kneel and look up at Anko.

"Right … I want to see your combat skills … all of them … I'm going to spar each of you so I can see where your at and what needs improving … Hinata … your first" Anko spoke with a smirk.

"Come at me with the intent to kill otherwise ill kill you, got it?" Anko snapped, barely getting a not from the Hyuga heiress before Anko charged at the girl. Anko threw several punches at Hinata, who dodged them all except the last one, sending her rocketing away from Anko. Hinata righted herself in mid air, managing to land on her feet awkwardly before she made a single and hand sign.

"Byakugan"

Hinata raced in toward her sensei,lashing out with several palm strikes and swipes, whilst dodging and weaving through all of Anko's defensive strikes until Anko's knee met Hinata's stomach, grabbing they Hyuga's flack vest, she swung her overhead and into the dirt with a thud.

Hinata puffed out of existence, leaving a log in her place before Anko once again found herself assaulted be the heiress.

'Nice move, letting me think I had he so I'd leave my back exposed' Anko thought to herself as she smirked slightly before she smashed her fist into Hinata's face, sending her over to the ground by Naruto and Sakura.

"Good Hinata … but your style is sloppy …" Anko stated.

"Clearly her body doesn't suite the ridged stance of the gentle fist" Naruto commented, to which Anko nodded.

"Sakura … front and centre!" Anko grinned maliciously.

Sakura walked in front of her sensei … shaking with fear, to which Anko scowled at the girl.

"Stop shaking … or ill really give you something to cry over ..." Anko near screamed at the girl.

Sakura flinched slightly before she took a deep breath and opened her eyes with determination. Drawing a kunai she flicked it around her fingers before holding it up defensively in front of herself, settling into the academy Taijutsu stance.

"That's more like it pinkie!" Anko shouted with sadistic glee as she attacked Sakura, sending a hail of kunai at her before drawing her own and charging at the girl.

The two kunai clashed repeatedly in between quick punches and kicks. Anko had yet to break a sweat as where as Sakura looked ready to drop from exhaustion, her arms and legs were littered with shallow cuts.

"That all you got brat?" asked Anko with a smirk.

Sakura narrowed her eyes before she charged once more, throwing her kunai at Anko, who tilted her head to let it fly past when she noticed a glimmer of light reflecting to the wire attached to the kunai. Sakura took this brief opening and sent her fist flying for Anko's face, who caught Sakura's wrist and pulled her off balance to the ground.

"I may have under estimated you … but not by much … you've got the brains girl alls you need is the drive" Anko commented, holding her kunai to the girls throat.

Sakura managed a small smirk at the half compliment, even if she was completely beaten half to death.

"Were done for the day … but I guess if you can go a little longer then~"

"NO!" Sakura near screamed, her voiced tired and painful as she shook her head "No more … please" she begged.

"Fine … off you go, you are dismissed, eat a big dinner and get some sleep … tomorrow will be worse!" Anko promised with a truly satisfying tone of voice and one of the most sickly sweet smile Naruto had ever seen her wear.

"I'll carry them both home" Naruto sighed as he got up, dispelling all of his clones as he did. He walked between the two girls and lifted them both over their shoulders before heading toward Sakura's house to drop her off first.

Upon reaching Sakura's house, Naruto put her down on the floor and left, leaving the girl to crawl her way into her home, he was her team-mate, not her baby sitter.

Naruto proceeded to carry Hinata to her clan compound, enjoying the comfortable silence, that was until it was broken...

"N-naruto … I c-can walk n-now" came the shy voice of the Hyuga. Naruto responded by putting the girl on her feet and walking with her as she walked along slowly, her muscles screaming at her to rest, the look on her face showed it.

"It's going to hurt twice as much tomorrow, but eventually your muscles will get used to it all … and you'll find that tomorrow, you'll Finnish quicker than today" Naruto explained, gaining a small smile from the girl.

"Thank y-you ..." the shy girl replied with a very light pink tint to her cheeks.

"What for?" Naruto asked curiously.

"F-for helping me g-get stronger in-instead of p-putting m-me down ab-about my lack of sk-skills" she said shakily.

"Oh … no problem, I'd rather you be able to defend yourself than rely on me and sensei … we wont always be around" Naruto said quietly.

"I u-understand ..." Hinata fidgeted as they neared her clan compound.

"well, here you go … I'll see you tomorrow yeah?" Naruto said before he turned to walk away.

"W-we sh-should just s-sleep w-where we t-train … it w-would be s-so much easier" Hinata mumbled.

"You know … that isn't a bad idea …" Naruto grinned at the girl before he sped off toward home, a new idea brewing in his head as his smile widened … for the first day of training, the two girls hadn't done bad, granted it took them six and a half hours, almost seven, longer than planned to complete. Naruto held a good feeling about the next few weeks... especially with his plans, which he would set into motion tomorrow, when he would simply suggest to Anko that what Hinata had said to him could be beneficial to both his team-mates and himself and Anko.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay this chapter is done, ive addeed about a 1000 words to it ... hope i got most of my spelling mistakes.<strong>

**I even upgraded the pervyness. ;D**

**okay I would really love some positive or negative feedback, what you like, what you don't … that's sort of stuff, please take a minute to review**

**and of course I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	5. Dinner with the Hyuga

**Dinner with the Hyuga.**

The previous month had been peaceful within Konoha, all except for team seven …

Anko had driven the two girls into the ground during training … made even worse when she took them into the forest of death for a seven day long survival test. The scenario was to evade being discovered by Anko or any of the other Jounin or ANBU she had sent in after them. She had to admit, they did very well for fresh Genin and had even set up traps and false trails that had tricked and fooled even herself and for two days she had completely lost all traces of them. Bottom line … she was impressed that the girls had come so far under her and Naruto's combined training. And she knew that he had taught them even more during the test.

After the first week and a half of Anko's training the team had managed to take their first through twelve d-rank missions in only one afternoon, the training had pushed the girls to work hard in every aspect of their career, including the loathsome boring d-ranked missions, lest they invoke more of Anko's evil training methods.

There were three exercises that made both girls shiver with fear. The first was when Anko had made them fight, blindfolded on top of the same raging river at their usual training ground, Hinata wasn't even allowed to use her Byakugan, leaving her mostly defenceless if it hadn't been for the Taijutsu lessons that Anko's friend, Yuhi Kurenai had taught her. Kurenai had also been able to teach Sakura the art of Genjutsu.

The second most dreaded of her training methods had included dodging fireballs whilst tree climbing, arms tied behind their backs. They did well in this training, though they had visited the hospital a few times to treat some of the more serious burns they received.

The third and possibly most terrifying was what Anko likes to call pain and torture training … the girls and Naruto went through this training separately. It involved a session with Anko and Morino Ibiki. I included physical torture, mental torture and interrogation … obviously they took it easy on the three Genin, they wanted them physically and mentally strong, not in Konoha's mental health hospital as permanent residents. During this training they were also introduced to Yamanaka Inochi, they Yamanaka clan head. And then they learned why he was a T&I specialist, delving into each of their Genin minds, he had de-sensitised them slowly … making them re-live every past battle through his eyes. Needless to say, all three Genin vomited once the man had finished his work.

Currently the team were enjoying yet another enjoyable training session with Anko, who at that moment was throwing volleys of shuriken and kunai endlessly with the help of several clones. Naruto, Hinata and Sakura were training their reaction time and agility by dodging and deflecting the oncoming weapons but there was a catch, they weren't allowed to use Chakra at all.

Naruto was having the easiest of times, as he had put up with this for over five years now and he even had a decent enough reaction time to even pull Sakura and Hinata out of some fatal shots, since then the three helped each other overcome any obstacle their sadist sensei threw at them.

"Remember! If you can't dodge the hit completley, you must take it in a non vital spot!" Naruto said as he once again used a single kunai to deflect several shuriken, skidding to the side and jumping over several kunai and landed only to duck under another wave of shuriken.

"Sakura! Move right!" Hinata called, as she used her natural flexibility to dodge, deflect and even flip out of the way.

"Right!" Sakura acknowledged as she dipped down and rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding a hail of shuriken before deflecting yet another kunai aimed for her throat.

"OK! Well done … we'll go for lunch and then we can go pick up our first C-rank mission!" Anko spoke dramatically, pumping her fist into the air.

"I'm not eating Dango again!" Naruto shouted.

"I agree with Naruto!" Sakura stated.

Hinata nodded her agreement.

Anko glared at her three students … now she was beginning to think their teamwork based training was starting to turn on her …

After watching Sakura and Anko argue about where to go for lunch, Naruto sent several clones to gather everyone's desired lunch before he sat back and decided to enjoy the fight scene about to break out in front of him. He noticed during their training that Hinata too was not an argumentative girl and was quite happy to also sit and watch her sensei and team-mate duke it out over food.

Team seven entered the mission hall to find team eight already there and stood with a man who radiated the stench of cheep Sake.

"Why hello team seven … its a pleasure to see you but I cant send you on a mission as of this time as Anko is needed urgently at the ANBU T&I department" the Hokage greeted and informed them of the bad news with a sad smile.

"What kind of sick scam is this? I'm paying for ninja, not kids … at least those two girls and the blonde brat look like they take their job seriously!" Tazuna grunted out, clearly half intoxicated.

"You don't need them, in fact you wont even need my team-mates, my skills and knowledge alone should suffice for your needs on this mission Tazuna-san" Sasuke spoke arrogantly, his eyes closed as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

The Hokage sighed slightly at Sasuke's blatant arrogance as well as his major lack of willingness to work with others.

"Seeing as Anko-chan is busy … I'll be sending the remnants of team seven and eight on the mission to escort the bridge builder Tazuna back to his own country … Kakashi!" The Hokage declared with authority.

The Cyclopean Jounin looked up from his book to the Hokage.

"You will lead the mission, Naruto will lead team seven as back up and support should you come into contact with less appealing circumstances" The Hokage explained.

Sasuke audibly growled at the new development in his first C-rank. He was supposed to single handedly do this mission while carrying the dead weights that called themselves his team, kill a few bandits and save the bridge builder. That would no doubt lead to a field promotion to Chunin … that would show that smug blonde prick exactly where he belonged … right beneath himself, an elite! An Uchiha!.

"If Kakashi for some reason is indisposed, or simply not around, Naruto will automatically take command of the mission, No exceptions!" The Hokage commanded.

Sasuke laughed slightly "Hokage-sama … come on, you cant be serious, being a team leader requires strength, intelligence and good judgement in serious and stressful situations" the Uchiha spoke to the old man with a smirk before he gestured to Naruto.

"I don't believe that Naruto qualifies for any of those requirements" Sasuke finished, giving the Hokage an honest smile.

"Hm … while you, yourself may believe that Naruto is not fit as a team leader, I am the Hokage and I am telling you that he is Qualified and You will follow his orders if the situation calls for it, I will not tolerate insubordination … if you disobey your C.O you'll be punished to the full extent of Konoha law … end of discussion" The Hokage spoke seriously.

Sasuke simply scowled, letting out an exasperated sigh of annoyance.

The Hokage noticed the boys glare and sent one of his own "Better wipe that look off your face or you wont be going anywhere you arrogant little shit"

Kakashi's eye widened at that as he sent a look at his student, it wasn't often the Hokage lost his temper but god help the person responsible.

Kakashi spared a glance between his own student and Naruto before going back to his book.

"Now … everyone understands their rolls, you leave at 10AM tomorrow … I suggest you go and prepare yourselves" the Hokage dismissed both teams, Anko staying behind to receive her own mission.

Team seven and eight walked out of the mission hall together in silence and stopped outside, facing each other.

"We shall meet you tomorrow at the east gate?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah sure … 10:00 am" Kakashi said before waving goodbye and disappearing via shunshin.

Team seven were about to walk away when Sasuke spoke.

"Don't think for one minute that I'm going to take orders from the likes of you" the boy spat.

"Let's hope you don't have to …" Naruto said plainly back at him before walking off with Hinata and Sakura, who had glanced back at team eight with a slight frown.

"It's kind of sad knowing I have feelings for such a horrible person" Sakura said dejectedly.

"He's n-not worth y-your affections Sakura" Hinata said, trying to console her team-mate.

"Besides, you can do much better" Naruto chirped, turning around and walking backwards with his hands behind his head as he smiled at his two team-mates.

"A few weeks ago … I'd probably have hit you both … but after the training, both of you have saved my skin enough times for me to know that you've only got what's in my best interest at heart … so I appreciate your inputs … but I think this is going to be one of those things I figure out for myself" Sakura spoke to both with a weak smile.

"I suppose so … besides I sort of have my own issues toward a certain girl … hard to explain … meh" Naruto said before he turned around to see where he was walking.

"Are you g-going to t-tell us about her?" asked Hinata with a very subtle tone of desperation.

"Nope … besides … I don't know exactly what I feel for her … its definitely strong though" Naruto said with a smile and a small laugh.

"That just makes me want to know all the more" Sakura mumbled.

Hinata remained quiet, her mind abuzz with questions. She sighed slightly and filed the thoughts away for later.

They soon came upon Sakura's home and stood outside for a moment.

"We weren't told what to pack for the mission, suggestions?" asked Sakura in a bored tone.

"I'd say two weeks worth of clothes and rations …" said Naruto, a bit unsure himself, Kakashi hadn't shared the mission details. Come to think of it Kakashi didnt seem to be interested in Sasuke's blatant lack of respect either.

"W-wave country is small a-and not far away … w-we wont n-need much" Hinata said quietly to Naruto and Sakura.

"Hinata's probably right … but lets be on the safe side … I cant see us being welcome on this mission" Naruto said off handedly.

"I'll pack a tent, just in case" he said after a moment of thought.

Both girls smiled and rolled their eyes, they knew that Naruto's tent wasn't a small one, it was like a mansion among tents …

"Well I shall go pack" Sakura spoke, turning and walking into her house and waving the other two goodbye.

Naruto and Hinata waved back before Naruto turned to Hinata "Would you like me to walk you home?"

"S-sure" replied the shy heiress as they started for the Hyuga compound … it was on the way home for Naruto anyway.

"So … hows life?" asked Naruto after e few moments of silence passed by.

"B-better since w-we started out on t-team seven" Hinata replied, unsure of how to answer such a personal question when your entire family only spoke formally.

"Good … but I meant how is life outside of team seven?" asked Naruto casually.

"I'm a Hyuga … I don't really have much of one" She replied in a bored tone and without a stutter, much to Naruto's surprise, though she hadn't noticed herself.

"Well in that case … you're not going home yet … I'm going to show you how to have some fun!" Naruto said excitedly as he grabbed a hold of her wrist and hopped up onto a roof top. Once both were on the rooftop, Naruto looked around before he smiled at Hinata.

"The best way to have fun, I find is to set up prank traps and then watch as people set them off … but that Uchiha guy annoyed me today so here's what were going to do" Naruto started to explain.

After an hour of planning, gathering resources and working, their plan was set up, the Uchiha hadn't arrived home yet.

When Sasuke did arrive home he found a large plain looking box in front of the entrance to his compound. He stared at the box for a few moments, a few people gathering around to see what the Uchiha prodigy had in the box. Slowly, Sasuke inched closer toward the box, eyeing it suspiciously.

He finally got close to the box when suddenly it sprang open, a massive looming figure with piercing red, swirling eyes and a demonic grin burst from the box, dark, ragged clothes billowing in the strong wind, towering over Sasuke who started to shake visibly as he fell back, trying to shield himself from the figure.

"No … NO ITACHI NO!" the boy screamed, cowering in absolute fear from the figure, eyes wide as tears streaked his face.

* * *

><p><strong>with Naruto &amp; Hinata.<strong>

Naruto and Hinata laughed at the sight of the mighty Uchiha Sasuke, brought to his knees by some paint, a few springs and a scarecrow. Naruto was practically on the floor, crying from laughter while Hinata wasn't much better. Naruto and Hinata new that what they had done was completley cruel and uncalled for, but the boy deserved it.

"Ahhh that was worth the preparation" Naruto said with a huge grin on his face.

Hinata only nodded, breathing heavily from all the laughter, she looked over to Naruto to see him still laughing slightly.

"D-do you think we'll g-get into t-trouble?" she asked with a smile.

"Nope … we were never seen delivering the box …" Naruto said smiling back at her.

"Y-you were right though … t-that was a lot of f-fun" Hinata laughed once more before she looked at Naruto again.

"Thank y-you Naruto-kun"

Naruto blinked at the new suffix to his name but smiled and nodded to the girl anyway. It felt strange being called that, not a bad kind of strange either, he kind of liked it and smiled at the warm fuzzy feeling he got from just thinking about it.

"Indeed that was amusing Naruto, Hinata ..." came a voice from behind the two Genin, who stiffened and turned slowly to find the Hokage himself staring at them both seriously.

Next to the Hokage was a man dressed in a white robe with a grey jacket around his shoulders. The man was tall with a strong build and long free flowing straight black hair. Naruto also took note that he had the same sort of eyes as his team mate.

'Shit!'

Hinata took note of the man beside the Hokage and her eyes suddenly fell as her shoulders slumped. The man's face never changed from its usually blank expression as the Hokage spoke.

"Hinata … explain yourself" Spoke the man.

Hinata was quiet for a moment and looked up to speak to the man before Naruto beat her to it.

"It was my idea, I am responsible and I shall accept the consequences" Naruto spoke quickly and firmly.

"No need Naruto-san … I found it rather amusing myself … we Hyuga have a natural dislike for any Uchiha … I'm not at all upset with the outcome of my daughter helping you prank that boy" The man spoke, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

Hinata was shocked to say the least, her father, a man who had put her down so many times about her lack of shinobi skills was pleased with the cruel prank she had helped pull off. She glanced over to Naruto out the corner of her eye to see him smiling.

"As far as I'm concerned … this never happened … also … you both get a high d-rank payment for showing that disrespectful boy his place" the Hokage spoke as his eyes shifted around the area cautiously.

Both teens blinked and looked at each other quizzically.

"Hinata … bring Naruto-san back with you later on for dinner … we have yet to talk about your team" Hiashi spoke before he disappeared.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow as he nodded "Not bad Naruto, seems you have earned yourself some respect with the Hyuga …I'll be leaving now …" he spoke quietly.

"Oh! Before you do!" Naruto reached into his utility pouch and tossed the Hokage a scroll "That's everything I know about my supercharged clones, I forgot to give it to you earlier on" Naruto said with a smile.

Sarutobi looked at the scroll in hand and nodded before he disappeared.

Once the two Genin were alone Naruto looked around in boredom before he turned to Hinata and smiled.

"Do you fancy getting something to eat? I promise I wont make you eat ramen … we can go where you want to go" Naruto asked nervously which was strange for him.

"Ummm yeah s-sure" she replied shakily.

Naruto dusted himself off before jumping down into the streets, Hinata following suit before they started walking.

"So where would you like to go?" asked Naruto.

"Ummm t-there is this l-little restaurant n-near the park … I-its so peaceful t-there" Hinata said with a small smile.

"Lets go then!" Naruto smiled excitedly.

Both teens walked to the small restaurant in relative silence, all the while, Naruto was glancing at the Hyuga heiress, wondering why he had only really invited her to prank and then eat with him and not Sakura as well, what's more, he was trying to figure out exactly why he was happy it was just him and Hinata. The more he thought about it, the more not having an answer frustrated him.

"were h-here" Hinata called to Naruto, breaking him away from his thoughts to look upon a small cosy looking building with outdoor seating and a few Sakura trees around it. Naruto looked around to find a lake with a large willow tree hanging over the shoreline. Altogether, with the sky turning a warm orange hue, it made for a very beautiful place to be and he felt like this moment could never be more perfect … except … something was missing from it.

"This place … is amazing" Naruto said quietly as he allowed Hinata to lead him into the small restaurant where Hinata was greeted and ordered for both her and Naruto, whilst her blonde team-mate seemed to be more interested in looking out of the window at the lake.

Hinata converse with the waitress for a moment before she walked back to Naruto.

"Were going t-to go and sit by t-the willow tree … i-if that's okay w-with you?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah that would be awesome!" Naruto said excitedly as both he and Hinata made their way over to the tree at a slow pace.

"This place is amazing Hinata … the two of us should come here more often ..." Naruto said with a smile, clearly not thinking about what he was saying.

Hinata paused for a split second at what she heard Naruto say, a slight pink tint appearing on her cheeks before she pushed her thoughts aside and walked onward, sitting down under the willows hanging branches as they swayed gently in the warm breeze.

"This place is probably the most peaceful I've ever seen within the village walls" Naruto said quietly, looking out over the lake.

"M-my mother used t-to bring me here … b-before she died" Hinata spoke.

"Sorry to hear that … at least she was able to have a short life with you ..." Naruto smiled, seeing the girls slightly downcast glance "I don't know who my parents are, and I probably wont even find out either …"

"It must b-be hard..."

"Not really, I do well enough on my own, I never had parents so I cant say I miss what I didnt have to begin with, but it does make you wonder what life would be like if I knew who they were" Naruto smiled back at her, the girl managed a small unsure smile back at him but she couldn't help feel as if he had missed out on so much … it wasn't fair.

"D-do you want t-to have a f-family s-someday?" The Hyuga girl asked shyly.

"It depends really … I do want a family … but its finding the right girl … for example, your kind, helpful and you'd probably make a great mother as where as Sakura is loud, easily annoyed and whines for ages if she's woken up … out of you two, you would be my ideal choice of girl to settle down with" Naruto explained, failing to notice his Hyuga team-mate staring at him with a slight blush.

"I bet theres a guy you like from your academy class, just please tell me it isn't the same stool sample Sakura fawns over" Naruto near cried.

"I d-dislike the Uchiha … he's vile … b-but there is a b-boy … t-that I think I like" Hinata said with a little bit of bravery, a smile slowly appearing on her face.

"You should tell him … if I thought I had a chance with a girl like you id jump at the chance" Naruto grinned with a small laugh.

'A girl _like_ me … but not me …' was the thought that ran through Hinata's head before she heard someone approach them and found the waitress with their food. The waitress set the food down between Hinata and Naruto and smiled at Hinata before she left quietly.

"Naruto-kun … our f-food is here" she announced to the blonde, who turned from looking at the lake to look at Hinata.

"Cinnamon buns?" asked Naruto in slight surprise.

"T-they are m-my favourite ..." the shy girl said, taking a bite from one of hers and smiled in delight.

"Hmm they are quite nice" Naruto smiled after taking a bite, savouring the flavour.

'I wonder if her lips would taste like cinnamon after eating these?' Naruto thought as he found himself staring at Hinata's lips then down to her neck and a little further down. SNAP! His head shot up as a small blush crept onto his cheeks 'what the hell am I thinking? … oh crap I hope she didnt notice me staring at her!' he thought franticly, trying to remain calm as he looked back to the lake to compose himself once more before turning back to the girl who was still happily munching away at the same cinnamon bun.

Soon after they both finished their food and got up, Naruto returned the plates to the restaurant and paid for the meal before he met Hinata outside again. They stood there awkwardly until Naruto smiled at her brightly.

They walked around the park for a few hours before Hinata reminded him that they had to go to her compound for dinner with her father. They made their way there slowly, talking on the way.

"I … I had an amazing t-time with you t-today" she said with a small blush and smile, her hands clasped together in front of her.

"Ughh its no problem … we should … you know do it again soon … after tomorrows mission maybe?" Naruto asked, shifting his feet slightly as he scratched the back of his head, glancing between Hinata and her compounds front gate.

"Are y-you nervous?" she asked Naruto as she watched him glance between her and the gate.

"A little bit" Naruto said before Hinata guided him past the guards, turning back to him slightly and gave him a reassuring smile as she stopped in front of a large house, two stories, surprisingly plain for one of the most highly regarded clans of fire country.

Hinata opened the front door and lead Naruto inside. Naruto looked around, finding it was fairly plain, he removed his zori and his Wikizashi before they entered the main house, Hinata had only removed her zori.

Once Hinata slid the door open to the main house, the two pre-teens came face to face with a small Hyuga girl dressed in a black Kimono. She looked at Hinata and gave her a grin before she looked as Naruto quizzically, walking around him as if inspecting every inch of him, this made Naruto uncomfortable, even more so when Hinata stepped back to let her sister get a good look at the blonde.

"Daddy is waiting for us" the small girl spoke before she came round to face Naruto, her Byakugan active as she stared at Naruto "My name is Hanabi … who are you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto ..." the blonde replied to the small girl.

Hanabi's eyes widened slightly as her bloodline deactivated, her head turned to her sister, though her eyes never left the blonde.

"This is the boy the elders warn me about … but ill make my own judgement of him" Hanabi spoke, before she turned and lead the other two onward to the dining room.

They entered the dining room to find Hiashi sat at the head of a long elegant mahogany dining table, the man stood and smiled slightly.

"Ah Naruto-san, welcome to my home, I hope my youngest daughter Hanabi didnt upset you" Hiashi smiled.

Naruto bowed formally, something the clan head didnt expect "It's a pleasure to be here Hiashi-sama" the blonde replied before he stood up straight.

"Please take a seat, Naruto-san" Hiashi motioned to a chair to his left. Naruto made his way over and sat down next to Hiashi whilst Hinata sat to the right of her father, however Hanabi chose to sit next to Naruto. Hiashi raised his eyebrow at this but decided it wasn't worth thinking about.

"I hared from the Hokage that your team leaves for your first C-rank mission tomorrow?" Hiashi asked, making conversation.

"Yes, unfortunately it is a joint mission between ourselves and team eight due to Anko-sensei being needed at the T&I department" Naruto replied with a small smile.

"Well good luck to you both tomorrow" Hiashi said before he looked up to the sound of the dining room doors opening.

Five men walked into the room, all wore silken white kimono's and all but one of them seated themselves without being asked.

"Councillors …. I don't believe I invited you tonight" spoke Hiashi, his voice stern and cold.

"The guards said you had a gust over for dinner Hiashi … So we, the Hyuga council have invited ourselves to meet this _guest_" one of the seated councillors spoke as he glanced toward Naruto with a look of disdain.

Naruto didnt miss the insult and neither did Hinata.

"Councillor" Hinata spoke with a smile, standing from the table and walking over to speak directly face to face with him

"What?" the councillor sneered.

"I am the heiress of this clan … and Naruto-kun is my team-mate, also my friend, if not my best friend … If you ever speak to him or about him in that tone of voice again-"

"You'll do what Hinata? Try to hit me with Gentle fist? You cant even fight" the councillor shot back at her before she could Finnish.

"No … n-not at all … I'll brand you with caged bird s-seal" Hinata said, her voice was sweet and innocent to begin with before it darkened and she glared at the councillor.

"You cant do that!" the councillor spat, insulted with the very idea of being branded a cadet member.

"She can especially if I'm the one who allows it" Hiashi sent a glare to the councillor.

Hinata smiled evilly at the councillor, something that sent a chill down everyone's spine before she walked back over to her seat. She sat down and smiled happily with herself.

The councillors left the room, grumbling as they did just as dinner was being served by a couple of branch family members. The night went smoothly as Naruto talked, laughed and even joked around with the Hyuga family before he had to leave.

"It was a pleasure to have you for dinner Naruto, I'll leave Hinata to see you out" the man smiled brightly before he left Hinata with Naruto at the dining room doorway. After a second, Hiashi turned back and shook his head, seeing that Hanabi was watching the two teens like a hawk. He walked back over and picked his youngest daughter up and slung her under his arm, much to the girls annoyance.

Naruto had to laugh at that and Hinata smiled too "I-I'm sorry about Hanabi … she doesn't like b-being left out"

"Its al right … I'm used to that sort of thing" Naruto replied as Hinata lead him out the door of her house and through the compound.

"I apologise f-for the c-councillors N-Nartuo-kun … they are n-narrow minded idiots" Hinata said sadly.

"Don't worry about it" Naruto laughed " as they exited the compound and stopped. They smiled at each other.

"I really e-enjoyed your c-company today … father s-seems to like me spending time with you" Hinata said with a small blush.

"To be honest I thought he was gona kill me when they caught us pranking the Uchiha" Naruto laughed nervously.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two.

"Anyway, I best get back … I still need to pack a few things for tomorrow" Naruto said quietly.

"Oh! Yes, I f-forgot about that m-myself" Hinata jumped slightly.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning" Naruto said with a smile before turning.

"Y-Yes … see you tomorrow" Hinata said before she turned away and into the Hyuga compound, pausing for a moment to look back before shaking her head slightly and kept walking.

Naruto took to the the rooftops at top speed to get home as quick as possible, he had to admit that today had been one of the best days of his life and he hoped he could do it again, he especially enjoyed dinner with Hinata and her family, mostly because it was something he had never had. He hurried home and packed for the mission tomorrow before he shower. Once he dried off, he walked into his room and was about to get into bed when an ear splitting scream was heard thought the forest "Again? Poor Iruka … must have been to exhausted to move after last night and has become her victim once again" Naruto shook his head sadly before he got into bed and went to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay I added about 200 words to this, I feel I've don't pretty well, but I want to know what you think!<strong>

**Might be a few spelling mistakes, if so then I apologise, blame my dyslexia, though its not really an excuse.**

**Read it, review it and enjoy it!**


	6. To Wave !

**To Wave !**

Naruto awoke early, looking out of the window he found it was still dark and groaned slightly as he reluctantly pulled himself out of his bed and towards his bathroom for his morning rituals before he dressed, making his way down stairs he ate a light breakfast and walked over to his weapons cabinet, opening it up he began arming himself with both of his wrist blades, both both of his Wikizashi, strapped horizontally against his lower back for ease of reach, he then strapped a very small dark brown back pack upon his shoulders before he went to strap both his shuriken holsters followed by a single utility pouch, he had spare kunai and shuriken if he needed them in his pack. He glanced at the two blades he had received in the package from Muramasa's weapons shop just the other day and stared at them for a moment, contemplating on weather or not he should take them too … after a few seconds of mental debate he decided upon leaving them at home, he grabbed two Tanto blades, storing them inside his utility pouch, barely managing to make them fit.

Usually he could be seen walking around the village with only his flack jacket on, but he had also put on his black ANBU styled greaves to protect his legs and had a brand new pair of fingerless leather gloves covering his hands tightly.

He walked out of his front door, locking it behind him and turned only to find Anko stood there, her arms crossed as she stared at Naruto with a critical eye, her face gave away nothing in the way of emotion.

"Remember what I taught you …" She said in an emotionless tone.

"I will never forget" Naruto answered back, his face as even as hers.

Anko took a few steps toward her apprentice and smiled a warm genuine smile at her student.

"I know we don't have moments like this often, Naruto-kun … but I am so proud of you …and I love you like a mother would a son … be safe and good luck on your mission" she said quietly before giving the boy a warm hug, which he returned, shocked albeit … never had Anko shown any motherly affection toward anyone or anything … except Dango.

"I will … Kaa-chan" he replied shakily as Anko released the hug, smiling at Naruto before she ruffled his hair and grinned.

"Get going, after all … you cant have team eight showing you up by arriving before your own team" she said with a smirk, which was returned by Naruto, who nodded to her with his own smile of determination. He took in a deep breath before movement caught his attention from his right, looking over he found the barely conscious and very weak and tired looking Iruka, Naruto looked him over to see multiple superficial cuts and love bites all over his neck. Naruto looked back at Anko with a raised eyebrow before glancing back at Iruka "better you than me" Naruto said in a tone filled with sorrow before he bounded off toward the villages east gate where he would meet his own team and team eight and of course the client, Tazuna was it? He'd have to get himself acquainted with the man before the mission. He also had to ask Kakashi for a brief summary of the mission parameters.

He made it in time to find his two team-mates arriving at the same time, both fully equipped as expected. They walked up to each other, smiling as they greeted one another.

"Glad you both got here early … it would be nice to speak to the client before we leave and hopefully Kakashi can give us a quick explanation of the mission, though that may have to wait until after were on the road, the man is notorious for his tardiness" Naruto said, sighing at the last part before taking a seat on a nearby wall.

"I heard the same thing from sensei a few weeks back" Sakura nodded her agreement as both her and Hinata took a seat as well.

"Hey I have a present each for you two …" Naruto said suddenly, pulling out the two Tanto's from his utility pouch and handing one each to the two girls. The one he offered Sakura had red binding on the handle and was neatly contained in a red sheath with cherry blossoms painted upon it. And Hinata's had dark purple binding and a light lavender sheath with purple lilies painted on it in the same fashion as Sakura's.

"They are unique … and they have the same safe keep as your kunai, I made sure of it" Naruto said with a smile.

"They are beautiful … but why did you get us these?" Sakura asked in amazement at hers and Hinata's gifts.

"To celebrate our first C-rank mission together … even if it is a joint mission" Naruto said as he smiled.

"Thank you!" Sakura smiled as she strapped the tanto to the right shoulder strap of her flack vest.

Hinata stared at her tanto before she looked up to Naruto "H-how did you know purple lilies are my favourite flower?" she asked in shock as she too strapped her Tanto to her right strap of her flack vest.

"I'm your team-mate, I'm supposed to know those kinds of things" Naruto smirked at the Hyuga girl who blushed slightly at his reply, making her wonder how much more he knew about her.

"I kinda feel bad that you help us train and even bought all our gear and we didnt get you anything though" Sakura said with a tone of embarrassment. Hinata nodded in agreement with a blush on her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it" Naruto said as his eyes seemed to be drawn away from them for a moment.

Soon two of the members of team eight turned up, the bridge builder not far behind them.

"Kiba … Shino, its nice to see you both, where is Sasuke-kun?" Sakura greeted the two new comers.

"Hey Sakura, Hinata … he's probably going to be late … he usually is" Kiba responded to Sakura with a smile.

"Oh … Uzumaki Naruto, these two are Inuzaka Kiba and Aburame Shino" Sakura motioned to each of the boys who nodded to Naruto.

"Pleasure to meet you both, I hope our mission goes smoothly together" Naruto greeted both boys with a smile before he turned to look at the client.

"Tazuna-san … My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I'll be acting captain if Kakashi-san is indisposed or unavailable" Naruto said, holding a hand out to the old man.

The old man snorted slightly but shook the boys hand anyway, after all it wouldn't help to offend the people hired to protect him. He smirked slightly before he spoke.

"Your Hokage seems to hold you in high regard, yet you look about twelve years old" he said with a slight sneer, looking down his nose at the blonde.

"Ah I see, you doubt my abilities and those of my team-mates in protecting you … I assure you, my team has been specifically trained to fight and kill ninja … I'm sure we can manage a few thugs here and there" Naruto said in all seriousness before he smiled and walked back over to his team, leaving a slightly shocked Tazuna. These kids were pre-teens, why would anyone let them be trained, or worse, train them to kill other ninja?

It wasn't long until Sasuke showed up and he didnt look at all like he had slept well, something that both Hinata and Naruto himself had an inkling as to why and couldn't help but share a glance and a smile with each other at their memories of the day before.

"What's got you all strung out of shape?" Kiba asked Sasuke.

"Nothing that concerns the likes of you, is Kakashi here yet?" Sasuke snapped back at his team-mate.

"No … He isn't" Kiba replied with a glare.

"Then follow me! I'm not waiting for more useless baggage to weigh me down on this mission" Sasuke said as he started walking toward the gates.

When he noticed that neither of his team-mates made a move to follow him, he turned with a scowl.

"Are you deaf or just plain stupid, I ordered you to follow me!"

"Uchiha, in the event that Kakashi is unavailable, Naruto-san becomes the acting commanding officer … as per Hokage-sama's orders" Shino interrupted.

Sasuke gave his team-mate a harsh scowl "We don't need him for this!"

"Were not leaving without Kakashi-sensei!" Kiba said forcefully, as he displayed his clans famous loyalty.

"Sasuke …" Naruto tried to warn.

"You can shut up, you aren't the leader of my team!" Sasuke snapped.

Kakashi appeared behind Sasuke without so much as a sound "Is there a problem here?"

Sasuke turned to his sensei, seething in anger though he managed to keep a level head and stay calm "No, everything is fine … can we go now?"

"Hmmm, I suppose so … lets move everyone, team eight take point and team seven bring up the side and rear with myself, Tazuna-san, you're in the middle" Kakashi spoke lazily as he watched his team take the front of the group with Sasuke at the very foremost front and Kiba and Shino, flanking either side of him, Tazuna too the middle with the two girls flanking either side of him and Naruto was stood next to him as they started walking.

"Kakashi-san, could you fill me in on the mission parameters, myself, Hinata and Sakura weren't present for the briefing" Naruto asked casually.

"Basic C-rank escort mission, protection from thugs, bandits, that sort of thing, why?" Kakashi asked, his face in a brand new-ish looking icha icha book.

"By the way the client acted in the mission hall, I have suspicions about this missions ranking" Naruto spoke quietly.

"That's always a possibility with escort missions … but it could also be that his protection consists of children" Kakashi spoke with experience and logic that Naruto had to agree with.

"Never the less, be on your guard … and by the way, am I ever going to get my book back" they scarecrow asked with a slight glare.

"Probably not unless you're brave enough to ask Anko for it" Naruto replied with a shrug and a slightly apologetic look.

Kakashi just shrugged and walked on in silence as did the rest of the party, he wasn't especially annoyed that the book was lost to him, what did bother him was that its was a Genin that bested him, but then again, Kakashi wasn't one to hold grudges, had it been an autographed copy like the one he was currently reading then he'd have literally destroyed everything to retrieve it.

About another half hour down the road was the point when the trip started to get interesting as only Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata and Shino noticed the puddle with suspicion, though Sakura had glanced at it with a slight frown as well.

'It hasn't rained heavily enough for weeks to create a puddle that big' Naruto thought to himself, keeping his cool and taking a deep breath to prepare himself for a possible confrontation.

They walked past the puddle as if it were normal, only an idiot would stop and give-away that they knew someone was there, this way the element of surprise was all but gone, yet then enemy didnt know that as they silently ascended from the puddle, leaving the ground beneath them dry.

Both the ninja raised their arms, their fists covered by huge clawed metal gauntlets, palms open, aimed for the two leaf nin at the back of the formation. Suddenly the gauntlets both exploded, spewing out razor-sharp chains toward Kakashi and Naruto at an ungodly speed.

Naruto rolled forward instinctively and turned around to face the enemy just in time to watch Kakashi get torn apart as the two enemy ninja pulled their chains, constricting the copy-cat ninja into a bloody pulp.

Naruto took a defensive stance, his wrist blades shooting out, gleaming in the sunlight as Hinata and Sakura each took out a pair of kunai and flanked either side of their client, ready to defend him.

"One down!" one spoke, his respirator distorting his voice into a raspy growl.

"Seven to go!" the other finished in the same kind of creepy voice, their eyes wide with murderous delight.

Naruto stood his ground, ready to defend the client as Sasuke rushed past him.

"SASUKE NO!" Naruto shouted but to no avail, the boy didnt stop and made an outright frontal Taijutsu attack for the two enemy ninja, giving each other a look before they both dealt devastating spin kicks to Sasuke's chest, repelling the attacking Genin to the ground with a hard sickening thud.

Both the enemy ninja raised their gauntlets above Sasuke and brought them down with sheer power and speed, only to have them stopped and held in place by Naruto, who appeared underneath the gauntlets above Sasuke. He managed to push both of them back a little before he addressed them.

"Gozu and Meizu, the demon brother duo from Kirigakure …what can I do for you two today?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm in an attempt to get them to divulge any useful information. The two ex-kiri ninja leapt back, skidding to a stop.

"Give us the bridge builders head and our buisness here is done!" rasped Meizu, holding out the clawed hand of his gauntlet.

"Tazuna-san is under our protection" Naruto said as he picked up Sasuke's still form and jumped back to dump his body on the ground next to Tazuna. It was at this point that the two brother's charged at the group head on.

"Now Kiba!" Naruto called.

"GATSUGA!"

The two twin cyclones of claws shredded through the air at the advancing nin, tearing up the ground in front of the group, before making the brothers jump away from each other, Naruto jumped after Meizu on the right, his wrist blades blocking attacks from the gauntlet and kunai alike whilst Hinata attacked Gozu, dodging and weaving around his attack as she managed to get in a few hits with her Chakra surging palm strikes. Meanwhile Kiba and his dog Akamaru along with Sakura were guarding Tazuna, though Shino sent out some of his bugs toward Gozu, helping Hinata by using the Kikai bugs to block Gozu's vision from Hinata, further allowing her to quickly strike him into submission whilst the bugs also fed on the Nuke-nin's Chakra.

Meanwhile Naruto dodged the clawed gauntlet scarcely, gaining a single shallow cut on his cheek before he managed to lunge in quickly, jabbing Meizu in the stomach with the tip of his wrist blade. Naruto quickly retreated back a few steps and wiped the blood from his face, feeling only numbness in his cheeks and fingertips, he scowled at Meizu and charged in once more.

"Pray to your deity four redemption, cause I'm sending your ass there right now" Naruto spoke in a deathly calm voice as he charged, making a single hand seal and summoning two shadow clones, they all got in close to Meizu, poised to strike with their wrist blades.

Meizu on the other hand, had expected to be fighting a fresh out of the academy Genin, this being said he was more than shocked when a mere Genin produced a Jounin level technique. This shock was enough to give Naruto the chance to get in close, but by then it was far too late as Meizu's head lolled back, his eyes wide as his respirator started to spew out blood like a fountain. His head shakily moved down to find all three clones had impaled him upon their wrist blades … two of the clones then dispersed as Naruto ripped his blades from Meizu's chest, letting the Nuke-nin fall to his knees before snatching a hand full of the demon brothers hair with his left hand and pulling his head up to look him in the eyes as he drove his right wrist blade through the dying man's throat.

Naruto watched the man die before slowly removing his blade from the fresh corpse, bringing with it a slow trickle of blood down the body's neck, he pushed Meizu onto his back with a thud and looked over to see how his team-mates had fared against Gozu. He wasn't disappointed as he looked upon Kiba and Sakura helping each other tie up a very weak and hurt Gozu as Shino used his bugs to help weaken him and keep him in check.

Naruto looked over to see Hinata panting as she stood next to Shino with the client.

He raised his hand to his cheek, still feeling numbness around the shallow gash on his cheek, he walked over to Kiba and Sakura.

"Make sure he's able to talk, we need information on who employed him and anyone else he's working with … even if we have to torture him, we need every detail he can give us!" Naruto spoke furiously before he turned to their client "You had better divulge the true reason you hired us, or I take my team and leave!" he spoke with authority.

"Naruto, y-you're bleeding ..." said Hinata worriedly.

"See to Sasuke first, I'm sure I heard his ribs crunch, and if you can wake the stupid son of a bitch up, I want to kill him myself after that idiotic stunt" He said, gaining a nod as she jumped over to Sasuke to tend to his wound.

"Well you all handled yourself well enough … except Sasuke of course … Naruto, after seeing how you took control of the situation after I was 'dead' I now believe you are capable of leading in my absence, well done, I'm impressed, and good thinking on leaving one of them alive … Kiba … nice teamwork with your distraction and timing and Shino, you proved to be helpful support for Hinata. And Sakura I'm glad to see you were prepared to guard the client whilst you team-mates dealt with the enemy" Kakashi spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest with a smile.

"What are you going to do about Sasuke's foolishness, seeing as your his sensei" asked Naruto.

"Actually he was under your command during that point, you should find a suitable punishment for him" Kakashi reasoned.

"Get your filthy hands off me you halfbreed!" came Sasuke's voice from where he had been on the floor.

Naruto whipped around just in time to see him push Hinata away roughly and push himself to stand. Naruto scowled and walked up to Sasuke, his fists clenched.

Naruto cocked his fist back and ploughed it straight into Sasuke's gut, forcing his breath from his lungs and let him fall to his knees holding his gut as he vomited violently all over himself.

"I'm only going to say this to you once Uchiha … You will die if you pull any more stunts like you did back then … and if you ever assault my team-mate again, I will end your career myself, injured or not!" Naruto spat sharply at Sasuke.

"She was only tending to your injuries Sasuke-teme ..." Kiba glared at his team mate.

Sasuke glared up at Naruto, who spoke to him with a sneer.

"You think every girl in Konoha is in love with you, get real … Hinata finds you disgusting … yet she tried to help you … the least you could do is show a little gratitude"

"I'm an elite … an Uchiha! How dare you speak to me like this, how dare you think you can order me! … I don't need help, especially from that vile little Hyuga slut!" Sasuke spat back as he wiped the his mouth with the sleeve of his arm warmers.

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously at the remark made about his team-mate "Uchiha Itachi's Mercy was a waste on you" Naruto turned to check Hinata was okay.

Kakashi watched the interaction and suddenly wished that he had gotten Naruto on his team rather than Sasuke. But he'd think about that some other time as he turned to the client.

"Tazuna-san … I do believe you need to explain yourself" Kakashi interrupted as he sent a lone eye glare at the old man, if that's even possible.

Tazuna sighed and proceeded to tell Kakashi the situation in wave and how he needed to Finnish the bridge so they could be free of the countries tyrannical dictator, Gato. After a full half hour of explanations and pleading from Tazuna, Kakashi had decided to continue the mission, knowing that there could well be several high level ninja involved.

When Kakashi tried to Interrogate Gozu they had more trouble than they anticipated as the Nuke-nin decided it was better to bite his own tongue off and choke on it than give up any information.

"All right, lets continue onwards" Kakashi spoke.

"Kakashi, I'm going to leave a clone to dispose of the bodies" Naruto spoke as he made a shadow clone and left it behind with Gozu and Meizu as the rest of the group walked onward.

The arrival of the demon brothers and the whole situation afterwards had taken its toll on the daylight, they should have been well into wave country by now but they were still just under 20 miles from where they were to meet the boatman and the sky was growing darker and darker by the minute.

* * *

><p>"Okay everyone … were going to camp for the night ..." Kakashi spoke up, earning groans of approval from near enough everyone.<p>

"I'll collect firewood ..." Naruto said before he stalked off into the forest, clearly still in a pissed mood from earlier that day.

"Kiba you can help me find something to eat, ill teach you a quick tracking skill whilst hunting" Kakashi said, motioning for the boy to follow him.

"And why are you teaching him instead of me, if anything I should be learning these sorts of skills!" Sasuke called out in annoyance.

"You cant learn this … you don't have an Inuzuka's nose, besides, you don't deserve to wear that Hitai-ate … my advice is to get your head out of your ass and co-operate, you'll get stronger quicker" Kakashi stated before walking into the forest with Kiba.

Only Sakura, Shino, Hinata, Sasuke and Tazuna were left at the camp.

"I'll start setting up tents, Shino, Sasuke, will you give me a hand?" asked Sakura.

Shino nodded ans stood to help.

"Do it yourself!" Sasuke spat at her, it was then that he had noticed the tanto blade strapped to her shoulder and recalled Hinata having a very similar weapon.

Hinata had gone to collect water from a nearby stream and was currently watching Naruto with her Byakugan, she noticed the cut on his face was still bleeding and wondered why, usually he could heal small cuts in minutes. She quickly abandoned her current objective and headed straight for Naruto.

Hinata caught up to Naruto, grabbing his arm to get his attention before he turned to face her "What is it Hinata?"

"H-hold still" she said quietly.

"Hinata, I haven't got time to-"

Hinata pushed him against a tree with some force before she spoke "I c-cant stand t-to see you hurt …. s-so just shut up and l-let me h-heal your w-wounds" she snapped at him, shocking him into submission before she went through a short set of seals "Kanjin sousaku no jutsu" she said quietly before she let her hands hover over the wound on his face with a green-blue gentle glow.

"Y-you've been p-poisoned Naruto-kun … Its a m-mix of … anticoagulants and … nurotoxins … its very s-slow acting … I can neutralise it f-for you" she said with a slight blush.

"Please do" Naruto stated slightly shocked and now very grateful for the girls concern.

"It will t-take me some t-time to m-make an anti-toxin, an hour at l-least … I'll t-treat it after we s-set up cam p-properly" Hinata said quietly, the same blush growing as she pulled her hands away from his face slowly.

"I owe you big time Hinata and … I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'll see you back at camp soon" Naruto smiled before he went back to collecting firewood.

Hinata watched him walk off and sighed slightly before she continued onward to the nearby river to collect water.

* * *

><p>Later that evening the group enjoyed a cooked meal of fire roasted rabbit's and chatted about random things around the camp fire, one person chose to keep himself to himself, though that suited everyone else just fine. Sasuke had been watching Hinata for some time now as she had been grinding different sorts of plants down into a greenish paste, for what he didnt know … he was more interested in hers and Sakura's Tanto's as well as thoughts of mixing the weak Hyuga's Byakugan with the mighty Uchiha's Sharingan.<p>

Naruto moved to sit by Hinata and talked quietly with her, he couldn't hear the conversation but he guessed they were talking about what Hinata had been doing for the past hour as they both shared a small laugh with each other. Sasuke seethed at the sight before him, he could tell the Hyuga girl had a major crush on the blonde and though he would never admit it, he was jealous. Even though he saw the Hyuga girl as beneath him, he couldn't deny that her physical assets were very appealing, he would let Naruto grow attached to her before he forcefully ripped her from him and took her for himself, after all he did have a clan to revive and using Hyuga would make for a half decent start.

Sakura sat on the other side of the camp fire, listening to Kiba talk about how his clan were primarily hunter nin and trackers when the sight of Naruto and Hinata talking quietly to each other and laughing together caught her attention, she smiled slightly, recalling a past conversation with the Hyuga heiress earlier that morning. Kiba smiled too at the scene and continued to speak to Sakura.

Shino on the other hand was conversing with Tazuna about the logic behind building the bridge.

Kakashi sat quietly reading his porn, though he did take note of the interactions between the two teams.

Hinata had finished what she was doing and was currently speaking to Naruto...

"Y-you just need t-to rub s-some of t-this into the c-cut … I-it will h-help y-your body t-to neutralise t-the p-poison" she said as she handed Naruto a small bowl containing a small amount of ointment she had made.

"Thanks Hinata … when we get back to Konoha … I promise I'll find some scrolls on medical Ninjutsu for you to learn from … I know you have an interest … and the team only has basic first aid, except for your herb ointments of course" Naruto smiled before he rubbed the ointment into the wound on his cheek.

Hinata smiled as slowly the swelling receded and the wound began to slowly knit itself together. She felt happy that Naruto would be fine because of her help and she smiled when he grinned at her.

"That felt great Hinata-chan, thank you very much …" he smiled sincerely at her.

"It's n-nothing Naruto-kun … I'd d-do anything t-to see you s-safe" she said, not quite realising how it must of sounded.

Naruto blinked, giving the girl a slightly shocked look but he didnt get the chance to ask her what she meant before Kakashi spoke up.

"Right everyone needs to get some rest, ill take the first watch, Sasuke you will be taking the second watch and Naruto you can take third" Kakashi explained, reaching for his orange book.

"No need Kakashi" Naruto said before he created five shadow clones "You guys keep watch in shifts, firstly check the perimeter, set up traps, and make sure if anyone gets up to use the toilet that you guide them past the traps" Naruto commanded the clones as four shot off and the last one left used the Henge no jutsu to turn into a rock in the centre of camp. Kakashi simply shrugged, he wasn't going to complain at the idea of a full nights sleep.

"A rock? Your pathetic …" Sasuke snorted.

Naruto just grinned "No ones going to suspect a rock as sentry in disguise ..."

with that said everyone retired for the night before they continued onward to the land of waves the next day.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm ending it here … added some stuffs to it :3<strong>

**As always id love for you to review and I hope you enjoyed the story so far.**

**Bye for now, ill update soon :D**


	7. Demon Of The Bloody Mist

**Demon Of The Bloody Mist.**

Team seven, eight and their client had been walking for about two hours now and were just coming upon the coast where they would meet the boatman. The morning had started later than Kakashi had hoped due to the client being one to sleep in, not that the Jounin minded that much. As the group was walking, Sakura got curious about wave country.

"Tazuna-san, Wave is small nation but does it have a military strength of any kind?" asked Sakura.

"We never really needed one until now … and we only had a few old samurai who used to patrol the streets to enforce the law … but when Gato moved in, he had them all rounded up in the village square for a meeting of some sort and had his thugs waiting on the rooftops. Gato simply gave them the signal and they killed the only protection we had" Tazuna spoke solemnly, his eyes turning dark whenever he spat Gato's name out.

Sakura only nodded in understanding as even Anko had taught her that in a war or hostile take over, the enemy will usually try to kill off the leadership to break moral and gain control of the objective much easier. It was a simple tried and tested ancient battle tactic.

"Hn … your country sounds weak! … In my opinion you deserve to be in the position you're in … samurai for protection? don't make me laugh! As an expert shinobi myself, I can tell you Tazuna-san that if you were to have a single shinobi as half decent as myself you're country would not be in its current situation" Sasuke sneered from the front of the group.

Most of the rest of the group rolled their eyes, but it was surprisingly Sakura who spoke with sarcasm.

"So great you got your ass kicked because you thought you could take on two b-class missing nin, who by the way are famous for their double team attacks … we beat them by splitting them up" she said with mock boredom near the end, earning a few smiles at the group.

"You assured me that only you would be needed for this mission duck-butt, I'm glad I got your team-mates and blondies team here too otherwise I'd be dead now … and I'll have you know that our samurai protectors were veterans of Iron country's most elite" Tazuna said as he narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha in front of him.

"Well if non of you had gotten in my way, id have handled them both on my own in seconds, but the safety of the team is what distracted me, I cant be expected to protect you and the client!" Sasuke spat, his head held high.

"Sasuke ..." Kakashi called from the back, getting the boys attention.

"What!" he snapped back.

"You are an idiot …" Kakashi shot at him with a bored tone as if he were stating a simple fact, which he was.

"How dar-"

"Oh were here!" Kakashi said with a smile as they reached the meeting point to find the boatman waving them over.

The boat ride was fairly uneventful save for the low visibility of the morning mist, in this respect it was Hinata who was using her Byakugan to keep the group informed and to help steer the boatman through the thick mist. Naruto found himself staring at Hinata for most of the trip, he had noticed that she very rarely depended on her bloodline in training and he had noticed that her family style wasn't exactly the best suited for her build. Hinata had proven to be flexible and fast so he guessed she just didnt suit the Hyuga style.

He shrugged slightly before he felt a nudge from beside him, he looked to find Kiba give him a meaningful look before the Inuzuka shifted his eyes to Sasuke with a slight nudge of his head.

Naruto slowly followed Kiba's line of sight to find the Uchiha staring at Hinata, who was at the front of the boat whilst she guided the boatman.

Naruto's eyes hardened toward Sasuke as he clenched his fists, the memory of what he did still fresh in his mind. He didnt trust the Uchiha, he had read his file and knew that he had a serious superiority complex due to the civilian council always giving him what he wanted when he wanted, Naruto also knew that his rookie of the year status was a false because the civilian council had his scores altered to make him feel strong and in hopes of keeping him within the village. He also knew that Sasuke was suffering mental problems due to his brother wiping out the clan and in his opinion he should never have been given his Hitai-ate. He was a liability to the leaf village and this mission had already proven that. Naruto turned his gaze to Hinata, he decided he would have to keep an eye on Sasuke over the course of the mission.

"Sakura … where did you an the Hyuga get your tanto from?" asked Sasuke quietly, though not kindly.

"It was a gift" Sakura stated simply.

"I need it" Sasuke said, holding his hand out to her, not even bringing his eyes to meet hers.

Sakura looked at his hand then to Sasuke, who wouldn't even look at her 'Is this how it would be if I were with him? Always giving him what he want whilst being ignored otherwise?' she thought to herself, her facial features slowly darkening.

"Tough, you're not getting it" Sakura glared at the boy who returned her glare with one of with own before he snarled at her and looked away.

Naruto allowed himself a small smirk, thankful that Sakura wasn't the fan-girl she once was.

Another twenty minutes and the group were now on dry land within wave country, Tazuna informed them it was only another twenty minute walk to his house to the relief of most of the group. They were walking through a small clearing next to a lake when Kiba threw a kunai into the bush, Akamaru chasing after it.

"What the hell are you doing Dobe?" Sasuke asked in a bored tone.

"I caught a strange scent on the wind, it was only faint but it was there" Kiba said as he watched his companion come back out of the bushes with a dead white rabbit.

"Good boy Akamaru, but this is weird … this rabbit is white, its the middle of summer … and this species isn't indigenous to wave country ..." Kiba said after taking the rabbit from Akamaru and examining it.

"Most likely a pet kept inside, thus its fur hasn't moulted for its summer coat …" Kakashi observed, secretly he was pleased Kiba had used the same hunting technique he had taught him using his sense of smell to accurately pinpoint the area of the target.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" Kakashi shouted, pulling Tazuna down with him as a large blade flew overhear and embedded itself into a tree with a cracking sound.

The area suddenly started to mist up at an alarming rate as an evil blood lusting laugh was heard all around the clearing. Everyone looked up to see a figure standing on the handle of the massive blade, staring down at teams seven and eight.

"Ah … Konohagakure ninja eh? Haven't killed any of your kind in a long while … My name is Momochi Zabuza, Demon of the bloody mist!" The now identified Zabuza spoke, jumping off the blades handle and ripping it out of the tree with ease. He landed on the floor, hefting the massive blade onto his shoulder in a relaxed pose.

"Hatake Kakashi! The copy-cat ninja himself, I never thought you and I would cross paths … no wonder the Gozu and Meizu never returned" Said Zabuza with sick delight.

"Zabuza, demon of the bloody mist … I cant say its a pleasure" Kakashi replied as he stepped out in front of the teams and took a ready stance.

"Look, I just want the bridge builder, my fight isn't with you!" Zabuza said narrowing his eyes at Kakashi as he pointed the tip of his massive head cleaver at the bridge builder.

"Sorry to disappoint you … but our mission is to protect him, so this is our fight" Kakashi said.

It was less than a second later both Kakashi and Zabuza were struggling for dominance, Zabuza with his Kubikiri houcho, the massive blade being held off by Kakashi with two kunai. They struggled for dominance a few seconds more before both jumped back, Zabuza making a single hand seal.

"Kirigakure no jutsu!"

the mist thickened and whipped around Zabuza as he disappeared from view. The teams automatically surrounded Tazuna.

"Zabuza is a master of silent killing techniques … stay on your guard" Kakashi Commander, everyone readying their weapons, Hinata ran from the formation, much to the confusion and alarm of the group.

"Hinata! No!" Kakashi called but she had disappeared.

"My my Kakashi, already one of your team has run from me, pathetic … and another one is shaking, I can feel the fear rolling off of him in waves" Zabuza mused, his voice seemingly coming from all directions at once.

Suddenly he appeared inside the groups defence but burst into water when Kakashi impaled it upon his kunai.

"Got you!" Zabuza growled with murderous intent as his blade was soaring through Kakashi's torso.

Kakashi seemed to cough before he burst into water.

"Mizu bunshin, when did he-" Zabuza asked himself when he felt cold sharp steel against his throat, he laughed out loud and again burst into water.

Kakashi stood their, listening intently before he felt a presence rushing him from behind, he knew instantly it was Zabuza by the distinctive noise of his massive blade cleaving through the ground as he moved.

Kakashi spun, he knew the momentum of Zabuza blade could probably cleave through his Kunai but he had to at least try to defend himself.

Just as Zabuza's silhouette showed itself, a black blur flew over Kakashi's head, landing a heel kick to Zabuza's shoulder, taking him down onto one knee before the attacker flipped back and lashed out at the Nuke-nin, slamming two open palms into his chest and repelling him back through the air a few meters before he came crashing and skidding to a stop.

"I can still see you ..." came the soft voice of Hinata as she flipped back to stand by Kakashi.

Kakashi decided it was time for the games to stop and lifted his headband from his left eye to reveal the eye that made him famous, the Sharingan.

"I'm glad you gave me an opening, I should be able to take him on now, thanks Hinata, but you need to stay close now, your gona be targeted because you make this mist useless to hide in" Kakashi explained to the girl quietly.

Hinata allowed herself a small giggle and a smile as she looked through the mist.

"What is it?"

"I fractured his collar bone and cracked a few ribs … he can only grip that blade properly with the one arm" Hinata smiled at Kakashi who grinned back at the usually shy Hyuga.

"Here he comes" Hinata warned quietly before she was forced to flip back in order to dodge the massive head cleaver whilst Kakashi was preoccupied with his own mizu bunshin opponent.

"I'm going to slaughter you! You little bitch!"

Hinata simply kept calm and continuously dodged the man's now less accurate and slower attacks … if Hinata was honest, Anko gave her more of a challenge, though she had the advantage of seeing everything in slow motion due to her Byakugan, and the fact that she had injured him already, making his movements clumsy and off balance.. She dodged another strike, twirling around the blade before she got into Zabuza's defence, ripping her tanto from its sheath, she brought it up in an arc across Zabuza's bare chest.

Zabuza grunted in pain before he managed a quick kick to Hinata's gut, causing her to drop her tanto and sending her reeling back over to the rest of her team-mates, she landed with a thud and ground.

"Hinata! Are you okay?" Naruto said, pulling her from the ground, she winced slightly "Your injured..." he said quietly before making a kage bunshin to carry her off away from the battle and out of danger, a look of worry etched onto his face.

Kakashi had dispatched the water clone with ease an was currently matching Zabuza's hand seals perfectly.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!" both called and both at once two serpentine water dragons arose from the nearby lake and fought one another for dominance before cancelling each other out.

Zabuza growled at one of his prized techniques being copied so easily and used against him. He started a new set of seals faster than the previous, but his frustration only grew as Kakashi matched his hand seal until Kakashi overtook him in speed, shocking Zabuza to a stop.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu!" Kakashi called, further shocking Zabuza when a water vortex rose, spinning wildly and raced toward him, the water vortex hit him centre of the chest, slamming him into a tree with enough force to crack the bark.

Once the water died down, Zabuza was panting, slumped forward, he had underestimated this group and he knew it, he cursed himself but more so the dark haired girl who had seen right through his jutsu. He grunted in pain once more as two kunai pierced his shoulders courtesy of Kakashi.

"H-how? Can you see the future?" Zabuza breathed out in exhaustion, malice and contempt for the copy nin very clear in his voice.

"Yes … and your future is death" Kakashi said, looking straight into Zabuza's eyes before two senbon needles hit the Kiri Nuke-nin in the neck, his eyes going wide, Zabuza fell forward to the ground lifelessly.

Kakashi look into the tree to find a Kirigakure hunter nin as the rest of the group appeared with Naruto supporting Hinata.

"Thank your your assistance, I've been tracking this one for a while, and your battle weakened him enough for me to take the kill" the hunter nin said, appearing over Zabuza's corpse. The Kiri nin quickly grasped a hold of the body before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke was seething "What makes that guy think he can steal our kill!" he fumed to no one in particular before he noticed Hinata's tanto discarded on the ground a few feet away. He quickly made his way over, careful not to let anyone notice and picked up the weapon, marvelling at the quality of the blade before he felt his hands starting to burn with intense heat. He screeched in pain, dropping the blade and gaining everyone's attention.

It was Sakura who ran over and surprisingly picked up the blade "Don't touch what doesn't belong to you!" she scowled at Sasuke before she returned to her team-mate and re-sheathed the Tanto for Hinata, who looked about ready to fall unconscious.

The entire team turned when Kakashi fell flat on his chest, breathing heavily. Kiba quickly knelt down.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Cover up my Sharingan … I've overstretched myself … I'll be bed ridden for a week" the Jounin mumbled to his student.

Kiba quickly pulled Kakashi's headband down to cover his Sharingan eye whilst Shino helped pick him up.

"Great … now I've got command again" Naruto said in an annoyed tone before he turned to Tazuna.

"Could you lead us to your home as quick as possible Tazuna-san? Kakashi and Hinata need medical treatment" as quick as possible.

Tazuna nodded and lead onward. As the group walked, Naruto thought back on his own teams training and how far they had come.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura had managed to give Anko the slip just under an hour ago … and were now hiding in the hollow of a tree, Naruto turned to Sakura and smiled.

"Nice Genjutsu Sakura, your one on one time with Kurenai was a good idea after all eh? But could you create a Genjutsu over the hole in this tree to give us time to rest and plan?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah sure … Ninpo: Giji gururi no jutsu" Sakura mumbled quietly after she finished the deals required for the jutsu.

"How long can you hold that up?" asked Naruto.

"I gave it enough Chakra to last maybe an hour or two … its simple and effective and doesn't require much and I can always add another layer later on if we need more time" Sakura spoke quietly.

"good, good ..." Naruto visibly relaxed against the inner walls of their temporary sanctuary, he let out a sigh of relief.

"We've been in t-this forest f-for two days … and Anko-sensei i-is really -going all out on u-us" Hinata said as she also leaned back against the inner hollow of the tree.

"And it doesn't help that she's got several other Jounin and ANBU searching the forest for us either ..." Sakura sighed.

"Don't worry guys … there's only five days left in this test, then we can enjoy some well earned R&R" Naruto smiled, though the two girls knew he was just as exhausted as themselves. And they all knew that by the end of this so called test, they would be knocking on deaths door.

"Five more days? … the only thing that sounds worse is Anko-sensei's T&I training sessions" Sakura shivered.

"lets do our best … otherwise she'll put is through much worse" Naruto said, a shiver going up his own spine.

**Flashback end.**

* * *

><p>Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when Sakura Nudged, him, letting him know they had arrived at the bridge builders house. Naruto looked around the area for a few moments before he took a deep breath.<p>

"Tazuna-san … do you have a spare room for us to treat Kakashi and Hinata's wounds?" asked Naruto.

Tazuna nodded as he lead them inside "Tsunami! I'm home! … and I have help!" the old bridge builder called out. Seconds later a dark haired woman appeared to greet them, hugging Tazuna before she bowed to the shinobi.

"Thank you for protecting my father" she said before she stood up straight.

"Tsunami, could you help with the girl?, you boys follow me, we'll get those to patched right up" Tazuna said with a smile as he lead Kiba and Shino, who were carrying Kakashi whilst tsunami gave a worried look toward Hinata's slumped form.

"Yes, this way ..." Tsunami led them to another room on the first floor of the house and prepared a futon for the girl. Naruto gently lay Hinata down on the Futon and turned to Sakura "I'm going to check on Kakashi, see if she can find out what her damage is … besides, it would be inappropriate for me to stay at the moment" Naruto motioned toward Tsunami who had removed Hinata's zori and weapons and was currently removing her armour. Naruto spared his injured team-mate another glance before he left the room, leaving Sakura and Tsunami to tend to Hinata.

Naruto walked upstairs to find Kakashi already in a futon and sound asleep, he looked to Kiba and Shino.

"Chakra exhaustion … he'll be severely underpowered for at least a week by his calculation" Kiba said, Akamaru neatly tucked into his jacket.

"it would appear as though you have command Naruto-san" came the monotone voice of Shino as he adjusted his glasses.

"Yup … Kiba make sure you get a good whiff of the client and his family in the event that we need to track them … Shino, could you take Sasuke and do a quick perimeter trap set up around the property … if the teme wont go with you, use your bugs to put him to sleep" Naruto said, earning a smirk from Kiba and a nodded from Shino.

"What will you be doing?" asked Kiba.

"I'm gona see how Hinata is first and then I'm going to set up camp outside, there isn't enough room in the house for all of us" said Naruto as he walked out of the room and down stairs to the room Hinata was in. he knocked and waited patiently. He felt relief when Sakura opened the door with a smile on her face and she moved aside to let him in only to Find Hinata had woken up and was sat up, smiling at him as he entered the room.

Sakura left the room, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone. Naruto walked over and knelt down next to Hinata.

"So what's the damage?" he asked quietly.

"Just some c-cracked ribs and b-bruising … t-the ribs will take t-time to heal … my healing salves c-can help with the bruising" she replied with a small smile.

Naruto smiled before letting himself a small laugh "Well its not every day you take on one of the seven swordsmen and best him in his ideal battlefield situation"

"I g-guess not" she giggled to herself.

"I'm happy to see you're okay though, I was worried when you couldn't stand" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head, for some reason he felt awkward when it came to speaking to Hinata, like he just didnt know how to word it … because he cared to much about what she thought of him. The two chatted a little longer until Naruto left her to get some rest and to set up camp outside the main house for himself and Sakura, seeing as Hinata was injured he wouldn't move her from a proper bed.

Once Naruto had the tent set up he was sitting at a table reading a scroll in the middle 'room' of his massive tent when Sakura entered with Kiba and Akamaru.

Naruto looked up to them as Sakura spoke.

"Kiba needs to walk Akamaru … so I'm gona go with him, get a rough layout of the surrounding landscape, we shouldn't be too long" Sakura said whilst Akamaru barked, wagging his tail when Sakura said walk.

"Yeah sure, no need to rush back though, I've got clones sweeping the main roads and setting up perimeter traps with Shino and I think Sasuke is still unconscious from Shino's Kikai … apparently he didnt think much of making sure the surrounding are of the clients house was safe" Naruto said, failing to hide the slight sadistic tone in his voice. Unfortunately his smile gave him away.

"I'll report back in two hours tops" Sakura said to Naruto before he nodded to her and she left with Kiba and Akamaru.

Naruto smirked once she left the tent "Rough lay out my ass"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere<strong>

"Zabuza-sama … your body is in bad shape … even with the help of my herbal medicine you wont be at full strength for at least a week" spoke a feminine voice.

Zabuza was sat up in a large bed as the Hunter nin was just finishing up bandaging his shoulders and torso, his arms were numb and week from his shoulder wounds. He was absolutely seething if his violent breathing and the look of rage on his face was anything to go by.

"Take that fucking mask off!" He growled, sick of the sight of it.

"Ah, sorry Zabuza-sama, I forgot I had it on" Spoke the girl as she removed the mask to reveal a beautiful face with dark brown eyes. The girl smiled at her master who only snarled in return.

"We should have waited and gathered information on everyone on Kakashi's team … that girl was something unexpected, wasn't she?" the girl said with a smile as she finished tying the bandages.

"Don't talk down to me Haku! I didnt pluck you from the gutters for your opinions … your not here to think or speak … just serve me!" Zabuza snapped at her.

"Damn that copycat Kakashi! And Damn the little bitch …. next time we meet they will both pay … Haku! Send word for Hien … tell her we need her back here to help deal with the bridge builder" Zabuza seethed in rage.

"As you wish Zabuza-sama …" with that said, the now named Haku left her master to rest.

Once Haku had left Zabuza he laughed darkly to himself "To be bested by a child … I'll have Hien deal with her personally … then ill tear Kakashi's heart from his fucking chest with my bare hands"

* * *

><p><strong>I thought I would be ultra epic and cool and give you another chapter today, simply because I'm EP!C :3<strong>

**Okay I'm done for this chapter, hope you have enjoyed it, so leave me a review.**

**Not much changed in this chapter. I added some stuff, edited it. Small things.**


	8. I'll Bare It

**I'll Bare it.**

Naruto awoke the next morning to the sound of shouting, and he wasn't even sleeping inside the house. He got up and got dressed quickly, a look of annoyance on his face. He looked around his tent, it was a fairly big tent having three separate rooms, two 'bedrooms' and the main living quarters in between. He walked over to the other room across from his and pulled the flap back "Sakura, I need you up and ready in twenty minutes" he said before he left the seemingly sleeping girl and headed into the house, closing the door behind him.

Naruto stood just inside the doorway to find everyone had stopped shouting to look at him. Naruto glanced between each person, he noticed Hinata was up and leaning heavily on the door frame to the room she had stayed in, she looked to still be sore but otherwise all right. He looked between Kiba and Shino before his eyes finally fell on Sasuke, his eyes, widening with rage as he took in the sight that met him and the cause of the arguing.

Sasuke was wearing Hinata's flack vest and armour, which he had clearly stolen, probably whilst everyone was still asleep. Naruto also took note that Sasuke had Hinata's fore arm guards and shin guards held under one arm, a defiant look on his face as he looked from his team-mates to Naruto.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became suffocating … the room grew a few degrees colder as Naruto slowly walked over to Hinata, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hinata, what's going on?" he asked, clearly he had lost his temper and the Hyuga girl knew this was no time to keep him waiting or add to his frustration.

"I awoke t-to find m-my belonging's h-had been s-searched … a-all my shuriken a-are m-missing and m-my medical k-kit … Sasuke did it … h-he t-took my g-gear and won't give it b-back. I tried g-getting it back b-but he managed to c-catch me in t-the ribs and wind me" she said out of breath.

Naruto then turned to Shino and Kiba "And you?" he asked expectantly.

"Myself and Kiba saw Sasuke assault Hinata-san and were attempting to reason with Uchiha-san against this course of action" Shino said, his voice was calm and even though it held a certain edge to it that Naruto picked up as anger.

Naruto turned to Sasuke, his eyes and mood darkening with every passing second, it was bad enough he had blatantly stolen Hinata's belongings but what got him more pissed off than anything was the fact that he assaulted his team mate yet again, this time knowing she had already been injured.

"The Hyuga Isn't worthy of such equipment, I will put them to better use for myself" Sasuke stated before he turned to walk back to the boys room.

"Uchiha … return my team-mates belongings immediately" Naruto said, his voice calm, his eyes gave away the rage he felt.

"I don't think I will, these belong to me now" Sasuke said with a hint of amusement and a smirk, only turning his head to look at Naruto.

Sasuke turned back to walk away only for his face to meet with a fist, smashing into his jaw with a loud crack and sending the Uchiha down to the floor. Another yelp of pain escaped Sasuke's mouth as Naruto brought his foot down on his chest, the floor boards beneath him creaked dangerously under the pressure Naruto was pushing down with.

Sasuke coughed a few times before he opened his eyes to find Naruto staring down at him with one of his Wikizashi pointed less than an inch from his right eye.

"If your going to steal My team-mates equipment, I'll steal yours, unfortunately for you, your eyes are the only thing of value, but I'm sure one of your fan girls would buy it for a high price" Naruto said with a sadistic smirk.

Sasuke for his part was literally terrified of someone taking his eyes, it was the same for all Uchiha, something that had been drilled into him from a young age by his father. He started to sweat, dropping Hinata's armour.

"Don't forget the shuriken and vest" Naruto spat as his hand reached for his other Wikizashi, taking his foot off of Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke quickly took off the vest and slid it away on the floor, his hands shaking as he did before he also threw Hinata's shuriken holster onto her vest.

Naruto snarled and stepped forward, grabbing Sasuke by the hair he literally dragged the last Uchiha out of the house and threw him onto the ground outside the house. Naruto stalked toward him, his rage showing as his foot connected with the Uchiha's face, knocking him out.

Naruto took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down, he quickly created two shadow clones, who immediately dragged Sasuke over to a tree and tied him too it, making sure his hands were kept well away from one another.

Naruto turned to find that Hinata, Kiba, Shino and Tazuna had followed him out of the house and Sakura had joined them at some point though she must have found out from one of them what had happened because shockingly she was glaring at Sasuke's unconscious form, he stripped him of all his weapons and handed them to a clone to take back into the house.

"Hinata … I want you to rest and try and heal your injuries a bit more for today … Sakura, could you teach Kiba and Shino how to climb tree's?" Naruto asked, his bad mood still present.

Hinata nodded and Sakura smiled "Sure, where will you be if we need you?"

"We need supplies … I'll head into town to see what I can get and also, what information I can dig up on Gato and Zabuza, I don't believe for a second that he's dead, Hunter nin dispose of the body on site and they aren't shy to spectators, they only need to take the head back to their village to confirm the kill" Naruto said.

"I had suspected that myself, but I don't know how other villages hunter nin work, it is common practice to dismember and gather what information you can from the corpse before destroying it completley, taking only the head back to confirm the kill, unless the mission orders stated otherwise, but that in itself is a very rare occurrence" Kiba explained what he knew. After all nearly all of his clansmen were hunter ninja, so their practices would be common knowledge among the Inuzuka clan.

"The hunter nin is likely to be in league with, Zabuza if that is the case then we could be in trouble" Sakura nodded with a thoughtful expression, her arms crossed over her chest, she looked up at Naruto "Don't worry, by tomorrow they will know both the tree climbing and water walking exercises" Sakura smirked before she turned to Kiba and Shino to start explaining the technique behind climbing tree's without their hands.

"I'll come with you Naruto, my family need supplies too, I may know of a few people you can get info from too" spoke the aged bridge builder, walking up to Naruto. Naruto thought about it for a moment before he gave a slight nod before both himself and Tazuna walked off toward the nearby village marketplace.

* * *

><p><strong>With Hinata.<strong>

Hinata had returned to her room and applied some of her healing salves to her bruised ribs before she dressed herself with a little bit of difficulty as she put her armour on. She sighed in relief as she ran her fingers over the tough fabric.

"Without this … Zabuza would have crushed my rib cage and killed me …. now I see why Naruto-kun makes us wear them … I'll have to thank him" she thought with a small blush. She walked out of the room and walked out to find Sakura watching both Shino and Kiba attempting to climb tree's using Chakra, Sasuke still tied to the tree unconscious.

"How are they doing?" Hinata asked as she came to stand next to Sakura.

"Pretty good … for boys" Sakura laughed, earning a small smile from Hinata.

There were a few moments of silence before Sakura spoke again.

"You should tell him sooner rather than later if you have feelings for him" Sakura said quietly.

"I … I don't know how he would take it" Hinata said with a hint of worry in her voice.

"I don't know how he hasn't noticed, you only stutter when your around him, you blush and I think once or twice I've seen you drooling when he takes his flack vest off … " Sakura smiled, shaking her head slightly as she let out a low chuckle.

Hinata sent her friend a playful glare, though she couldn't help but smile at the thought of Naruto's well toned body showing through his shirt when he wasn't wearing his flack vest.

"It's funny isn't it?" Sakura said, giving Hinata a grin "He has to be just as smart as Shikimaru-san, yet he cant quite pick up on your feelings for him" she sighed with a smile.

Hinata sighed with a nod.

"He already likes someone anyway" Hinata said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I know, it hurts …but you've still got a chance, you'll just have to steal his attention … and if you fail to do that then you'll simply have to eliminate the competition" Sakura said knowingly.

"My father seems to have taken an interest in him …" Hinata said with a smile.

"Really? I wouldn't have expected that … then again your father may know more about Naruto than us?" Sakura suggested

"Oh he does" Hinata nodded "But whenever I ask he simply says its not his place to speak of such things" Hinata said with a sigh as she sat next to Sakura on the porch, watching the two boys making slow progress.

"You could always rape him" Sakura stated as if it were a common solution.

"S-Sakura!" Hinata whined as Sakura laughed at the blush on her friends face.

* * *

><p><strong>With Naruto and Tazuna.<strong>

Tazuna walked a few meters in front of Naruto, heading into one of the stores to try and buy some food, Naruto waited patiently outside, all the while he had clones scouting the village in disguise as normal villagers . It was as he was watching the goings on in the market street that he felt something tug at the back of his pants, he whipped round quickly, his hand instinctively grasping the hilt of one of his Wikizashi. He relaxed when he found a child stood before him, though the small girl looked scared of him.

"S-sorry …" Naruto smiled at the small girl before he knelt down taking his hand away from his sword.

The little girl relaxed as she stared at his headband, she reached out and traced the leaf symbol with a small smile.

"I guess you like it huh?" He grinned at the little girl who nodded slowly.

Naruto wasn't dumb, by the state of the small child's clothes she was an orphan and she was pale and thin, he took out a scroll from his utility pouch and unravelled it.

The small girl watched as Naruto smiled at the small child before he unsealed some ration bars from the scroll with a poof of smoke, making the small girl jump slightly.

"Here … take these, but don't eat them all at once okay?" aid Naruto with a smile.

"The little girl hurried in picking up the ration bars and turned to run off but stopped in mid step, turned and gave Naruto a hug, something he wasn't at all expecting. Naruto recovered from the shock and gave the small girl a hug before she ran off. Naruto rolled up his scroll and replaced it as he stood, watching the girl run off.

"That was the kindest thing I've seen in this village in a long time" came Tazuna's voice from behind Naruto, who turned to look at him.

"I understand what it is like to go hungry … I wouldn't wish it upon anyone" Naruto replied.

"OI! … brat! … You ought to know your not allowed weapons, Gato's orders, hand 'em over!"

Naruto looked past Tazuna to find three thugs making their way toward him, hands on their weapons. The one who had spoke stood in front of the other two, Naruto assumed he was the leader and spoke.

"Well … tell me where Gato is and I'll go hand them into him myself?" asked Naruto seriously.

"Gato is a busy man kid, so just hand over the goods and we can all be on our merry little way" the leader spoke with a smile to the blonde.

Naruto clicked his tongue in annoyance, this guy wasn't going to tell him where Gato was and chances where he didnt answer to the bastard directly either, so trying to extract any information was pointless.

"Get fucked" Naruto smirked at the thug who stopped smiling immediately and rushed Naruto, weapon drawn.

He made a strike at the blond only to find nothing ad touched his Katana, he felt warmth spreading over his lower body before he collapsed in a pool of his own blood. Naruto stood with his back to the now dead thug, staring at the other two.

"You'd do well to deliver this message to your boss; Leave wave country or I'll kill him and every bastard on his payroll" Naruto spoke evenly, his eyes dark as he flicked the blood from his weapon onto the two thugs and sheathed his Wikizashi.

The two thugs stumbled and fell over each other as they ran off, to which Naruto smiled.

"Why did you let them go?" asked Tazuna, whilst trying to ignore the blood puddle that was growing toward his feet.

"Simple Tazuna-san, fear is a powerful tool … rumours of what I did here will spread through the ranks of Gato's men … they'll think twice before picking a fight from now on … they will be a bit more … jumpy" Naruto smiled Sadistically as he walked off, Tazuna following him.

Unknown to both the blonde and the bridge builder someone had watched the entire ordeal from Naruto's interaction with the small girl, to the violent slaughter of the thug.

The figure clung to the shadows, watching Naruto and Tazuna for a short while longer before disappearing.

* * *

><p><strong>With Sakura.<strong>

"Well it took a while but you got there in the end guys, congrats, we'll stop for lunch and then start on water walking afterwards okay?" asked Sakura with a genuine smile as she looked down at Shino and Kiba who were on their hands and knees panting.

"KIBA YOUR FUCKING MONGREL JUST PISSED ON ME!" Screamed Sasuke, still tied to the same tree, kicking and screaming for his release.

Akamaru walked over to his master, wagging his tail happily.

"Good boy Akamaru!" Kiba beamed at his companion, scratching the pup behind the ears.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh at that, after what he'd pulled this morning he was lucky he could still move his legs once Naruto had finished with him.

Sakura and the two boys and Dog walked off to get some lunch, leaving a seething Uchiha glaring at their backs as they continued to ignore him and leave him tied up like some common thief …

Hinata sat on the porch still, glaring at the Uchiha.

"The fuck are you looking at?" Sasuke spat.

"Oh I'm just thinking about weather or not I could kill you and make it look natural … I've thought of seven different ways already, all of them excruciatingly painful" Hinata said in a dark tone of voice as a sadistic smile swept over her face.

"As if anything you can do would kill me, next to you I'm a god" Sasuke smirked.

"Asphyxiation, poison, a gently fist palm strike to the heart … You, Uchiha Sasuke are fragile and delicate, more so than I am …" Hinata stated as she glared at the boy from the porch.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Hyuga before him, how dare she disrespect someone as talented and pure blooded as himself, then he smirked.

"Even though your blood is tainted and filthy, I'll admit … you would be of exceptional use to start reconstructing the Uchiha clan to its former glory … what do you say Hyuga? Would you like the honour of producing the first of many baby Uchiha's?" Sasuke sent her a smirk.

Hinata smiled sweetly at him before she got up and slowly walked over to Sasuke, who looked up at her with the same smirk as his eyes darted between her face and her chest.

"With your … unfortunate lack of size … I'd be surprised if the most sensitive woman in the world would feel a thing … mixing my blood with the filth of an Uchiha's would be an insult to all that is good in this world" Hinata said sweetly before her expression changed to a sadistic one filled with murderous intent before she stomped her foot into Sasuke's crotch, causing the boy to cry out in pain and struggle to breathe.

Hinata walked away, leaving Sasuke red faced with tears streaming down his face, coughing as he tried to draw as much air into his lungs as possible before he finally vomited on himself. She never really like acting like that, but he had deserved it and what very little Hyuga pride within her had demanded she defend her name.

The very though of what Sasuke suggested made her wretch and nearly vomit herself, she had eyes for one man and one man only and it certainly was not Uchiha Sasuke.

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours later<strong>

Naruto and Tazuna arrived back at the house to find Sasuke still tied to a tree in a pool of what smelled like vomit, staring at a plate of food that had obviously been placed in front of him, clearly for some time as he seemed to ignore them and stare at the food as he drooled all over himself. The sight actually made Naruto smile and laugh quietly to himself "Brilliant"

They entered the house to find everyone sat around the table.

"Hey guys … anyone want to explain why Sasuke is drooling on himself?" asked Naruto with a smile to which everyone looked confused, except Shino.

"I was elected by Tsunami-san to feed Sasuke … I went out, gave him his food and I left him to eat in peace" Shino stated simply.

"How long ago was that?" asked Naruto as he took a seat.

"approximately three and a half hours ago" Shino replied.

"Uhhh Shino … isn't Sasuke still tied up?" asked Kiba.

"That is correct"

"Then you left the food for him, with no way for him to eat it?" asked Sakura.

"Sasuke would be insulted if I were to help him, its as he said the first day of our team assignment; myself and Kiba are below him, he doesn't need our help … so I will respect his wishes and not help him" Shino explained logically.

There was an awkward silence "Epic ..." Kiba commented. He was amazed Shino had done something so simple yet cruel and at the same time used the own Uchiha's words to justify his actions.

"Also he killed one of my Kikai … my vengeance will be complete when I let my bugs eat the food set before him" Shino said in a calm yet dark tone, sending shivers up spines.

"Kakashi woke up earlier today, he's still bedridden but should be able to walk with crutches tomorrow … he's pleased with the progress of the mission and said that you are to keep up the good work as the mission leader" Sakura said with a smile.

Naruto smiled slightly "That's good news … Unfortunately I was unable to gather any information about Gato, Zabuza or their whereabouts whilst out in the village with Tazuna-san" Naruto said in a disappointed tone.

"How are you feeling Hinata?" Naruto asked after a moment of silence.

"B-better, t-thank you … I'll be b-back t-to normal in about t-two days" Hinata said with a small smile and a blush.

"Naruto … is there anything else you guys can teach us? Kakashi's not gona be in any condition to teach us anything over the next week" asked Kiba hopefully.

"Actually … we don't, everything else we know is specialised training, I have nothing of use to teach you for your skill set, sorry" Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Actually I can teach them how to recognise minor Genjutsu and how to dispel them" Sakura said with a smile.

"There you go then guys, an essential skill for shinobi life" Naruto laughed, he noticed Hinata was distracted from the conversations for most of the night onward from there but decided to leave her to it.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that night.<strong>

Naruto was lying on the roof of Tazuna's house, staring up at the stars. He couldn't sleep, and it was a fairly nice warm night out tonight. He enjoying the peace and quiet when he sensed someone approaching him, he looked over to see Hinata looking at him. He smiled at her "want to join me?"

the girl blushed slightly and not trusting her voice, she nodded gently before she walked over and sat down next to Naruto and looked up.

"Lay back and enjoy the stars … I'm not gona bite you" Naruto said as he put his hands behind his head.

Hinata slowly lay back, resting her hands on her stomach and stared up at the sky.

"Something bothering you Hinata?" asked Naruto, sensing how tense the girl was next to him.

Hinata paused for a moment but decided to voice her curiosity.

"Sasuke … he a-asked m-me to h-help him r-restore h-his clan" Hinata spoke with a hint of fear in her voice.

"Like he stands a chance with a girl like you, besides he's have to get through me to try and make you do anything!" Naruto smiled at the girl, instantly cheering her up.

There was a short silence. Hinata turned her head and looked at Naruto. Naruto looked back to Hinata for a moment and smiled.

"W-What is she l-like?" asked Hinata nervously.

"Who?"

"T-the girl you l-like?" she replied, turning her head slightly to glance at him.

"Perfect … smart … beautiful and she's really strong and cool too …" Naruto replied as he smiled.

"W-Who is she?" Hinata asked.

Naruto sat up, his expression changing to sadness "I'd rather not say … It's painful to know I cant be with her and just as painful to talk about it"

Hinata frowned slightly, that was not the answer she had hopped to receive.

"What about you?" asked Naruto "Is there a guy"

"Y-you still d-don't get it d-do you?" Hinata replied sadly as she too sat up.

Naruto turned to her with a quizzical look on his face, the look Hinata was giving him was filled with pain and hurt. He hated that look on her face, it didnt belong there.

"Hinata-chan …"

"D-Don't …" Hinata sat up and sighed before she turned away from the blonde, trying her hardest not to be angry with him, it wasn't his fault.

Naruto watched her get up on her feet slowly. Hinata was about to walk away from him when two arms encircled her waist and pulled her back gently. She didnt struggle, she simply stayed still.

"Hinata-chan … You are my best friend, I don't want to see you persecuted for being with me … the reason I live outside the village is because of what I am" he paused before he continued "Twelve years ago, Yondaime fought the Kyuubi but he could only defeat it by sealing it into me … I house the Kyuubi no yoko … that is why we cant be together … I want it more than anything, I really do … but … more than that I don't want to see you get hurt for loving something as unnatural and hated as me" He finished, his voice filled with sorrow as he spoke quietly, his arms fell limp at his sides and his head hung low.

Hinata had started crying silently to herself, she leaned back against Naruto gently before she turned and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. Naruto smiled sadly. He was happy she hadn't run from him or hated him.

"E-Even knowing t-that … m-my feelings d-dont change … I k-knew … I knew a-about t-the Kyuubi … I k-know people will h-hate m-me … but I'd b-be happy … T-That alone w-would be w-worth all the h-hate …" She spoke softly and quietly, raising her head to look into Naruto's eyes as she let tears fall freely from her own with a small yet sad smile.

"I'll b-bear the burden of h-hatred w-with you . . . B-because I love you . . . " She said quietly before she reached up and kissed his lips softly, breaking away after a few seconds to find his arms were now around her waist once more, she smiled up at him, her tear filled eyes glowed warmly in the moonlight up at Naruto. Naruto stood with her, looking into his eyes before he let himself a small true smile of happiness, tightening his grip on her ever so slightly he spoke.

"Hiashi-sama is going to kill me" He laughed quietly before he leaned down and kissed Hinata, pulling her closer.

* * *

><p><strong>Half an hour later.<strong>

Sakura was sat at the small table in the tent reading over a scroll. To be honest she was completley bored and Hinata was off talking to Naruto on the roof of the house. Hinata soon walked into the tent and smiled at Sakura who looked back at the heiress with a look of utter boredom on her face.

Hinata was blushing and had the most content look Hinata had ever seen on her face before. "I'm gona go to bed now" The heiress said simply before she retreaded into the 'girls side' of the tent.

Sakura for her part was stunned, what could of happened to have Hinata in such a state of bliss? As far as she knew, Naruto was oblivious to Hinata's feelings for him and the heiress herself couldn't bring herself to tell him.

No less than five minutes later did Naruto walk in "Hey Sakura" Naruto said happily.

"Have I missed something? Hinata comes in smiling like I've never seen and your bad mood has totally done a one eighty" Sakura replied.

"We just talked about random stuff" Naruto said defensively.

"never mind" Sakura said giving Naruto a blank stare.

"I'm going to bed" Naruto said before he retreated into the 'boys side' of the tent and turned in for the night.

"Fucking teenagers ..." Sakura commented to herself before something in memory caught her attention. She asked herself the question that was on her mind.

"Did anyone untie Sasuke?"

she didnt expect a reply from Naruto's side of the tent "Who gives a fuck"

Sakura simply shrugged and decided she'd grill Hinata for information tomorrow and got ready to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>With Sasuke.<strong>

Still tied to the tree, Sasuke kept his eyes on the plate of food in front of him. He failed to notice several squirrels moving toward the plate stealthily and start sniffing at the food before they began their feast.

"N-No … that's my food! Shoo!" He cried out, kicking his legs as much as possible to try and scare off the squirrels but it was useless as they gradually ate everything, not even leaving crumbs on the plate. For two hours Sasuke had sat there with a look of utter defeat as mere rodents ate his meal, leaving him physically and emotionally drained and weeping silently over his loss.

* * *

><p><strong>Im ending this chapter here, I like this chapter, was fun to re-write … anyways I hope you've enjoyed it and I would love to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story so far, please keep doing so, it inspires me XD<strong>

**As usual I hope you enjoyed it and would love to know what you think so far**


	9. Trouble At Home

**Trouble at home.**

Sasuke simply sat there, staring longingly at the empty plate before him. He had a sense of loss about him … the kind a person got when someone close died and the realization hadn't hit them yet... speaking of realization, ha hadn't been tied to the tree for a good twenty minutes now after Naruto had cut him loose.

Team seven and eight along with Tazuna, all stood not far away, watching him curiously, Kakashi was also present, supported by a pair of crutches. It was Kakashi who spoke first, his head slowly turning to Naruto.

"Okay what happened while I was out?" Kakashi looked to Naruto for answered.

"Sasuke decided to try and steal my team-mates gear … I tied him up after a light beating as punishment, as for the daze he's in, I suspect Shino giving him his food with no way for him to eat it has something to do with it" Naruto smirked.

Shino simply pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he sent a single bug over to Sasuke.

"Shino ..." Kiba started curiously at the boys action until Sasuke yelped in pain, holding his nose and stood up, looking around furiously.

"My Kikai bite"

everyone sighed and watched as Sasuke stumbled over to them. He stood in front of them, staring at Naruto with a blank expression.

"When we get back to Konoha, the council will hear how you attacked me and tied me to a tree … and you will be punished" Sasuke tried to speak firmly but it came out shaky and broken. Sasuke then walked off into the house, no doubt to demand a cooked meal.

Naruto shrugged and turned to Kakashi "What now?"

"Well I'll teach Sasuke the tree climbing exercise and you'll all go guard Tazuna whilst he works on the bridge, if you can help out in anyway, do so it will make our job quicker and easier" Kakashi said before he hobbled off toward the house, dreading the day ahead of him with the spoiled Uchiha.

Naruto turned to the other Genin and smiled "Looks like we've pulled guard duty today, lucky us … Hinata, Kiba … could you both head to the bridge and secure the perimeter, remove any possible threats, if an enemy shinobi appears you're not to engage them. Sakura and Shino will search the bridge for traps … once the area is good to go, ill escort Tazuna-san and his workforce onto the bridge … any questions?" asked Naruto.

"I'll send a single bug if the area is clear, two if we encounter an enemy and need back-up" Said Shino.

"Brilliant idea Shino" Naruto smiled before the four Genin walked off toward the construction site and Naruto walked over to Tazuna who had only just walked out of his home to go work on the bridge for the day. Naruto smiled as he near the old man.

"I've sent the other four on to the bridge to clear any thugs or traps out of your way, I've also been instructed to aid in the construction in any way I can" Naruto stated simply.

"Good, good, but I doubt there's much you can help with, its all heavy lifting for multiple people.

"Well then lets get to the bridge and see what we can do about speeding up construction once we get there, after all I can replicate myself to create hundreds if not thousands of workers for you" Naruto stated matter of factly as he and Tazuna started for the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>Later that evening. <strong>

Teams seven and eight sat at the Dining table with Tazuna and his Family. Naruto was on the very end of the table, reading from one of his personal scrolls. The rest of the group were sitting at the other end of the table, eating and talking. Naruto heard someone sit in the space opposite himself. He kept reading for a moment before he looked up with a blank expression to find Tazuna's grandson Inari giving him a glare. After a few moment, Naruto went back to reading, disinterested with the small child.

"You're going to die you know ..." The boy spoke in a dead tone. The entire room went quiet as all eyes were focused upon Inari and Naruto. Naruto kept reading as he spoke.

"So should I give up … go home and hide? Let your grandfather get killed by Gato? … you fail to realise that I'm not a normal person … I'm a shinobi" Naruto replied.

"IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT YOU ARE OR WHO YOU ARE! YOU CANT BEAT GATO'S MEN!" Inari shouted back at the blonde, slamming his fists onto the table.

Naruto slowly looked up at Inari with a harsh glare of his own "Hey! don't be so fucking ungrateful! Without us your grandfather would be dead!" he snapped at the boy.

Inari jumped at the forceful tone directed at him. He managed a glare at Naruto before he ran off to his room.

Naruto simply went back to reading, he felt bad for what he'd said to the child, but he had to learn that some things in life had to be fought for with everything you have and giving up at the first hurdle.

He rolled his scroll up "I'll be on the roof if I'm needed" he said before he hurried out of the front door.

"What's wrong with Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

"Don't know … I'll go see to him" Sakura motioned to get up when Hinata put a hand on her friends shoulder.

"Let me, I think I know what's wrong" Hinata said quietly. Sakura simply smiled and nodded to her friend as she watched her walk out of the door. She turned back to the meal at hand.

"Hey Sakura, would you like to join me after dinner to take Akamaru out for a walk before bed?" Kiba asked with a small smile.

Sakura smiled slightly "Yeah sure, I wouldn't mind the fresh air"

"Fresh air? around him and his mutt? You'd be lucky for their stench not to linger with you for a week" Sasuke scoffed

"I bathe daily I'll have you know …" Kiba glared at his so called team-mate.

"Just ignore him Kiba, He's clearly beneath your level of maturity" Sakura smiled sweetly at the Inuzuka, before she sent a glare at Sasuke that could freeze fire. A look that promised pain, a lot of pain.

"Hn" Sasuke grunted, sending Sakura his own glare before he resumed ignoring her and everyone else once more.

* * *

><p><strong>On the roof.<strong>

Naruto was lying back, staring up at the stars with a small smile on his face which turned into a wide grin when he sensed Hinata approaching him. She lay down on the roof after him and smiled at her boyfriend with a blush.

Naruto leaned over and Kissed her before putting an arm around her. Hinata returned his kiss and moved closer to snuggle up to Naruto.

"I've wanted to do that all day" Naruto grinned

"I know h-how you f-feel … it's hard t-to restrain m-myself" Hinata smiled back happily.

Naruto gave her slight squeeze as he rested his head on top of hers "So …. how am I going to explain this to your father" Naruto asked as his face took on a more confused look "Without him killing me of course?"

Hinata giggled at his obvious nervousness of her father finding out "Well … I'm not so s-sure he will b-be unhappy about it, e-ever since I w-was assigned t-to team seven and f-found out y-you were on m-my team … he w-was unusually h-happy about it and w-wouldnt tell m-me why" Hinata frowned at the Mystery that was her own father.

"Bit pointless asking permission … seeing as were already with each other, although I'm happy with keeping it secret for now, last thing we need is Sasuke-teme finding out and causing more trouble for us" Naruto said quietly.

"We should t-tell S-Sakura … b-besides I t-think she l-likes Kiba-kun" Hinata smirked mischeiviously at Naruto who raised his eyebrows.

"She does seem a lot less fixated on Sasuke than before the mission" Naruto noted with a thoughtful expression.

A moment of quiet calm passed before Naruto turned on his side to look at Hinata, his head propped up by his elbow and hand. The Hyuga heiress turned to look at Naruto who was smiling at her in a way she had only seen a few times but was becoming a common occurrence as of late.

"What?" Hinata asked with a small smile, her face heating up.

Naruto leaned down slowly, kissing her lips. He pulled back and spoke in a quiet voice "I'm just thinking about how truly beautiful you are, and how I am the luckiest man in all of the elemental nations to have you as my girlfriend"

"Y-You r-really t-think so?" Hinata stammered out quietly, her cheeks darkening.

"I know so Hinata-chan …" he whispered before stealing another kiss from the lavender eyed goddess beside him.

The kiss deepened as Hinata wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck loosely, pulling him closer, not that he would complain.

* * *

><p><strong>With Kiba, Sakura and of course Akamaru.<strong>

Kiba and Sakura were walking at a slow pace around the surrounding forest whilst Akamaru was left to run about, though he stuck close by. They had been talking about their training with their teams and their previous missions.

"So what's the deal with Naruto anyway?" Kiba asked curiously as he looked to Sakura.

"He's been doing missions since we were all in the academy … he is probably one of the most helpful and patient people I've ever met and he is one of my best friends, along with Hinata, who has a major crush on him" Sakura smirked.

"I couldn't tell" Kiba joked with a smile and a small laugh "He seems nice enough … and Akamaru seems to like him too" Kiba commented.

"He's a good guy Kiba-kun" Sakura nodded with a smile.

There was an awkward silence between the two as they stopped and looked at one another. Kiba swallowed the lump in his throat and ran a hand through his hair, taking in a deep breath he asked the question that had been plaguing his mind for a few days now.

"Sakura-chan … do you think that we could … maybe go on a date when we get back? To Konoha I mean?" Kiba asked with a slight blush as he rubbed his neck, averting his eyes down to the left.

Sakura blushed and failed to hide her smile as she looked down to the ground before she looked back up at Kiba with a smile and a glint in her eyes as she held her arms behind her back.

"On one condition" she said, making Kiba look at her hopefully.

"Bring Akamaru with you" she said as she smiled.

"Yeah sure, of course!" Kiba grinned happily, barely containing his happiness at that.

"I wondered when you'd finally ask!" Sakura laughed.

Akamaru chased a squirrel right between them and up a tree, his tail wagging as he went. Kiba and Sakura laughed at the puppy as he jumped around the tree the squirrel escaped up into.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

"Zabuza-sama … Hien has arrived"

"Show her in Haku …" the Nuke-nin demanded.

The girl bowed before she left the room.

Zabuza turned as he sensed someone enter the room to find a woman walking toward him. She stood at about five and a half foot tall with waist length black-blue hair, her headband was tied around her face, completely covering her eyes along with most of her face, the emblem upon it was completely shredded and scratched from recognition. She wore a gun metal coloured battle kimono with dark blue lining, underneath she wore a simple mesh shirt. Her forearms to her hands were bandaged and covered by the long sleeves of her kimono. She wore simple low cut zori and a pair of black-blue pants, he shuriken holster strapped to her right leg.

"Hien … what took you so damn long?" Zabuza growled at the woman.

She stood still for a moment, her head tilting to the side slightly before she spoke.

"You are lucky I turned up at all ..." She spoke with a tone of calmness.

"You know damn well what I'll do to you if you disappoint me Hien … You want to see your family again don't you? … then you'll do as you're fucking told, when I tell you to do it, otherwise ill activate the seal …" Zabuza spat.

After a few moments of silence she replied.

"What do you want me to do?"

Zabuza just grinned underneath his bandages as he began to tell her of his plans.

"Find the Konoha Ninja … learn everything you can about them, especially the one with the bluish-black her, you'll be killing her soon enough!"

* * *

><p><strong>Next morning, Tazuna's house.<strong>

"He was out all night last night, he didnt return to the tent till just before we came in for breakfast" she said before she glanced over to Hinata who smiled slightly.

"He went into town to try and pick up any last minute information on Gato or any ninja in the area" Hinata clarified.

"we'll let him rest for now … I'm going to take team seven and Hinata to the bridge with me, Sakura … you and Naruto stay and protect Tsunami and Inari" Kakashi spoke, causing Hinata's head to whip over to look at him before she sighed slightly. Sakura simply nodded her head to her temporary Jounin instructor, though she had to admit, she preferred the tough love of her own sensei compared to the lazy Kakashi.

See you later guys "Sakura said before getting up and helping tsunami clear up the dining table and and wash the dishes, Naruto would be asleep for a while yet and she had no desire to wake him when he needed the rest so she had cast a simple Genjutsu over the tent to hide it from view so that if anyone were to arrive uninvited, she could somehow warn Naruto, giving him the element of surprise to strike them as they retreated.

* * *

><p><strong>With team eight and Hinata.<strong>

The group arrived to find the bridge abuzz with activity as workers, more than Tazuna could count were working on the bridge, leaving the master bridge builder's mouth agape when a figure landed in front of them.

"Hey Hinata-chan, Guys … the boss didnt get in till early this morning but he left about … two, no three hundred of us here working on the bridge and supplying the other workers with different jobs" Said Naruto, obviously being a Kage bunshin.

"WOW … Just … WOW" Tazuna gaped like a fish as he watched clones hauling hundreds of tons of equipment around the area.

"How on earth can he create this many Kage bunshin?" Kakashi asked himself in astonishment.

"Naruto-kun has massive Chakra reserves … they are beyond anything I have seen …" Hinata stated with pride in her secret boyfriend.

"But how?" Kakashi asked, this kind of think was supposed to be impossible.

"Kakashi … Naruto-kun's reserves are a by product of his condition" Hinata whispered quietly yo the Jounin who nodded as it clicked in his mind and made sense.

"Well then, lets leave Naruto and Tazuna to work on the bridge whilst we patrol the area, Kiba and Hinata will take the shoreline, Shino and Sasuke will check the bridge for any faults. And I'll stay here, report back every half hour" Kakashi dismissed his underlings with a wave of his hand.

Kakashi took in a deep breath and smirked "Fly my pretties … fly" he said, nodding his head with the last word. He then walked over to a pile of sand bags and lay back, relaxing as he read further into the tantalising tales of the porn, giggling perversely to himself as he did.

"take it all you dirty dirty girl … he he heee" the Jounin giggled to himself.

"Ugh … how can he read that in public?" Hinata remarked, looking back at Kakashi.

Kiba stood next to her and shrugged his shoulders "He's got no shame, he even reads it when talking to Hokage-sama, yet no one dares to object to his actions"

"Naruto-kun had to steal that book to pass his sensei's improvised Genin exam … he said that Kakashi chased him as one possessed … as much as I cant stand seeing him read it in public … taking or destroying the book is probably a stupid idea" Hinata sighed in annoyance.

"Anyway, best get back to our patrol ..." Kiba commented, leading Hinata away from the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>With Naruto.<strong>

Naruto woke and got dressed, walking into the house he greeted Sakura and tsunami.

"Hey ladies … Tsunami-san would you mind if I took a shower?" Naruto asked tiredly as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Sure, go right ahead Naruto-kun, I'll make you something to eat for when your finished" Tsunami smiled at the blonde boy.

Naruto smiled and bowed gratefully before he bounded off upstairs to the bathroom, turning the hot water on, Naruto closed the bathroom door and stripped before jumping into the warm water. He hissed slightly at the heat but soon relaxed as his muscles loosened up and he could feel the knights grime slow away with the water.

Down stairs tsunami and Sakura were talking about little things, mostly about the shinobi lifestyle.

"If Naruto-kun were a few years older … mph …" Tsunami said with a laugh and a blush.

"Don't let Hinata hear you say that, she's got dibs on him and she'd probably kill any competition" Sakura laughed as tsunami grinned.

"Those two would make a great couple" She said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"IKNOW RIGHT!" Sakura squealed, finally happy to have a proper girl to girl talk about her team-mates hilarious love life situation.

"shush he's coming" Tsunami whispered with a smirk to which Sakura tried to act natural.

"Hey Naruto-kun how was your shower?" asked Tsunami as she watched him walk over whist drying his hair off with a towel.

"Soothing, thank you" Naruto smiled.

Tsunami handed him a plate of eggs, bacon and toast. Naruto smiled and thanked the woman before e sat at the dinner table to eat.

"Oh and ladies!" Naruto called, turning to look at them.

"Yes?" they both responded with a smile.

"Hinata and I _are_ a great couple" He said with a smirk before turning back to eat.

Both women blushed, knowing they'd been caught before what he said finally hit home.

"WAIT! you AND Hinata?" asked Sakura, wide eyed.

"Yup ..."

"WHEN?"

"Ughhhh two nights ago why?" Naruto asked whilst eating.

"Damn … well me and Anko-sensei owe Kurenai sensei about two thousand Ryo" Sakura sighed … that was like twelve D-rank missions … only two days pay, nothing serious, but she hated to loose.

"You had a pool on weather Hinata and I would get together?" Naruto asked, looking at the girl with a smirk.

"Not if, when" Sakura corrected him to which Naruto nodded in amusement.

"come on then, who else was involved?" Naruto asked.

"Hyate, your Kenjutsu sensei, Hokage-sama and some other guy, I don't know who though" Sakura said as she sat down at the table, opening a scroll to read.

Naruto just nodded and kept eating.

"congrats" Sakura said simply after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"you too … a date with Kiba eh?" Naruto grinned, getting his own back.

Sakura glared up at him " How do you know about that?"

"I didn't, it was a guess, but thanks for confirming it" Naruto laughed at Sakura who slumped in her chair.

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha, Hokage's office.<strong>

Sarutobi was doing paperwork quietly when there was a knock at his door "come in" he said, looking up.

Sarutobi smiled when Hiashi Hyuga entered his office, closing the door behind him, he sat down and looked at the Hokage with a serious expression.

"Hokage-sama … I need your help … my clan is in a power struggle … the councillors want to revoke Hinata's title as heiress and seal her due to some threats she made toward a councillor, defending Naruto" Hiashi said quietly.

"This is a serious matter and all Hiashi, but you know I cant intervene in clan affairs like that" Sarutobi said sadly.

"Hokage-sama as it stands the council could not make the majority vote to seal her, it is an even tie … which mean it becomes a clan-wide vote to pass or deny the motion, I fear that certain councillors will exploit the branch families caged bird seal to force votes to pass the motion to brand Hinata-chan … as a father I can not allow this to happen to my little girl … which is why … I want to emancipate my daughter from the clan, just if the worst is to happen, she would loose her status, but by law they couldn't touch her or it would be an act of treason against the leaf" Hiashi explained.

The Hokage's eyes widened at this "You want to officially disown your daughter and extradite her from the Hyuga clan?" Sarutobi asked in disbelief.

"To protect her from the Hyuga council, though … it would only come into effect if the motion is passed tomorrow" Hiashi said desperately.

"This is dangerous politics Hiashi … I'll help you" Said the old Hokage, producing the official documents for the clan head to sign.

Hiashi took the pen offered by the Hokage and signed the paper after a moments hesitation. The Hokage then signed and stamped hit seal of approval to make it an official and legal document. The Hokage sighed and looked at Hiashi as he put the document in his top drawer, locking it.

Hiashi was close to tears for what he had to to save his daughter from the seal, but it was necessary.

"You need to let me know of the results of the vote as soon as possible so I can make arrangements from when Hinata arrives back from er mission, if the council gets her before we present the document to them, they can still legal seal her , As this document cannot be legally reviled until Hinata is back in the village" the Hokage explained.

"I feel horrible" Hiashi said, sniffling as he wiped tears from his eyes.

"I have a cure for that" the Hokage said, going into the bottom drawer of his desk before presenting a large bottle of high quality sake and two cups on the table. The Hokage also revealed his tobacco pipe and smiled at Hiashi.

"So, what shall we toast too?"

* * *

><p><strong>Wave country, Tazuna's house.<strong>

The two teams, Tazuna and his family we sat at the dining table, enjoying their evening meal and talking with each other about the days events.

Naruto sat in between Hinata and Shino and whispered something into Shino's ear, the boy nodded and continued eating. Naruto then turned to look at Hinata and smiled "How was your day at the bridge?"

"O-okay … Kiba-kun told me he has a date with Sakura when we get back to Konoha" Hinata said quietly with a smirk.

"I heard" Naruto replies with a small laugh.

"S-Same place t-tonight?" Hinata whispered into Naruto's ear.

Naruto nodded his head once before going back to eating his meal, he soon finished and stood up "I'm going on a quick patrol through the town" Naruto lied before excusing himself and walking out of the house at a quick place.

Hinata took her time with her dinner and spoke with Sakura and Kiba for a little while before she excused herself, saying she wanted an early night. She slowly walked out of the house but she never even reached the tent and ended up on the roof in Naruto's arms as they lay down and watched the stars together.

"Hinata-chan … when we get back to Konoha, ill take you on a real date … I promise" Naruto whispered to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Naruto-kun … just b-being with y-you is enough to m-make me happy" She replied with a blush.

"You know, you are so cute when you blush like that" Naruto smirked. His smirk quickly turned into a gin and a slight laugh as Hinata's blush seemed to spread and darken.

* * *

><p><strong>BEHOLD READERS! I HAVE BROUGHT YOU NARU-HINA IN THE FORM OF FLUFF !<strong>

**also … 4 chapters in less than 12 hours … u mad?**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope I get some good reviews, I know my spelling and grammar are dog shit but I do well for a dyslexic writer :P and I will never use a beta, couldnt stand having anyone seeing my work before the rest of you guys.**


	10. The Lesser Of Two Evils

**The Lesser Of Two Evils**

Hien had been observing the Konoha ninja for a few days now, keeping enough distance as to not be seen or detected, not that she really used anything aside from the tree climbing technique to reach a good vantage point. She was currently sat on a wide branch of a tall tree, her knees to her chest with her arms crossed and resting on top of her knees, her face half buried being her arms. She sighed, looking out towards the bridge builders house. The truth was she already had all the information she needed on her particular target, she was the blonde boys team-mate and seemed to be dating the boy, though they had obviously wanted their privacy or their relationship kept secret as they only showed their affections when alone on the rooftop at night.

The woman sighed as she felt a presence "Auntie?"

"What is it Haku?" Hien asked softly, she never bothered to turn her head toward the other girl.

"Zabuza-sama wishes for you to report back" Haku said with a small smile, as she looked off into the direction that Hien was facing off towards.

"I'm not done here yet … why do you even follow that man?" Hien replied, her tone of voice turning dangerously low near the end.

"He saved me from my life on the streets …" Haku started.

"For your bloodline … You are not a weapon Haku-chan … no matter how much he wishes for you to be!" Hien snapped back at her softly.

"Unlike me, you were sold into Zabuza-sama's service … you cannot understand my gratitude toward him" Haku said back calmly as she turned to Hien.

"Haku … our blood is the same … we both carry the icy shards of memories that sting at our very hearts every time we remember our past, have you not paid back your debt to Zabuza-_sama_ … how many lives must you end at the command of that man before you are free?" Hien spoke hotly, her head buried further into her arms, spitting Zabuza's name out as if it were foul to the taste.

"My dream … is to help Zabuza-sama achieve his goals, I will die to defend him an his dreams" Haku recited perfectly.

"You're an idiot … I am sealed into service to that man … you are not and yet you refuse to leave him to be with your own flesh and blood" Hien spoke, her head moving to concentrate on where she heard her niece talking from before.

Haku was and had been conflicted ever since Hien had joined her and Zabuza six or seven years ago. She had been sold to them for quite a hefty price but Zabuza had insisted she would be worth it. Haku and Hien were part of the same clan in water country, though Hien had been living elsewhere when the country began the bloodline purge. Hien had told her that they still had family but Haku had always refused to abandon Zabuza to seek them out.

"Why do you Insist there are more of us? We are the last auntie, accept it" Haku said quietly.

Hien's head turned back toward her previous direction of interest with a look of disappointment on what you could see of her face.

"I have children, Haku … There are more of us" Hien stated simply before she continued "And I will never see my children ever again, never see them grow up, get married, become a grandmother … all because of that bastard you idolise, knowing full well that he will kill you when you outlive your purpose to him" Hien snapped at the girl. Her voice was colder and sharper than Haku had ever felt before and it stung.

Haku straightened her posture and gave her only relative a look of pain "I'm sorry auntie … but if that is Zabuza-sama's will then so be it!" Haku said firmly.

"Stupid girl … you're no tool to be used and abused and finally tossed away with the trash once your broken, leave me be, I will report when I'm done" Hien finished sharply, dismissing her niece.

Haku disappeared via shunshin, finally leaving Hien with her thoughts. A few moments passed by as the wind picked up and blew her hair around her face.

"I'm sorry for what I must do tomorrow … to end such a young life, one in love as well" Hien allowed herself a small sad laugh "I hope you enjoy yourselves tonight young ones, for tomorrow I will have to take everything you hold dear … and destroy it" Hien cried as she spoke, standing slowly before she left.

* * *

><p><strong>Tazuna's house, Late evening.<strong>

"Zabuza will be back at full strength tomorrow … and he's likely to attack the bridge with the fake hunter nin" Kakashi spoke, ending all conversation around the dinner table and gaining everyone's attention, his lone eye darted between them all seriously.

"We will need to be on guard tomorrow" Shino nodded.

"I'll go with you tomorrow" Naruto spoke up.

"No, Naruto I need you to stay here with Sakura and Shino to protect Tazuna's family, I'll take Sasuke, Kiba and I'll need Hinata's eyes on the bridge tomorrow" Kakashi stated.

Naruto sighed, he didnt like the idea … especially with Hinata being near Sasuke but he was a shinobi, and shinobi follow their commanders order's and as of that moment Kakashi was in command, he didnt have to like it though.

Sakura sent Naruto a glance to try and gauge his current thoughts of the plan, it wasn't too good by the looks of things, she looked over to see Sasuke smirking towards Naruto and then his eyes settled on Hinata … and roam to places the shouldn't. Sakura narrowed her eyes slightly at the last Uchiha before hiding her emotions as trained to do.

Naruto never failed to notice the manner in which Sasuke's eyes seemed to undress his girlfriend. It took all of his will power to suppress his own instinct to protect her and kill him, something he learned was a side effect of having a demon sealed within him. It was even harder to suppress his emotional rage at the insulting way the Uchiha was eyeing up his girlfriend as if she were a trophy in a competition.

"If Hinata is with me she is less likely to be out rightly targeted by Zabuza himself. Its for her own protection" Kakashi said.

It took all of Naruto's willpower not to snort at the man's words. He crossed his arms, leaning down against the table as Kakashi ran through his plans with Kiba, Sasuke and Hinata for if they were attacked tomorrow.

Naruto listened, not that he was very interested. He stared blankly at the table when he felt something … cold. He stood up, looking at Kakashi, before looking to the rest of the group.

"I'm going for a walk … I wont be long" he said and left before anyone could object. He leapt into the nearby forest and travelled through the tree's for a few minutes before he stopped in a small clearing. He stood still in the centre, his eyes closed, a single hand clasped the hilt of one of his Wakizashi.

"Get out here already …" Naruto called out loud. He wasn't disappointed when the fake hunter nin appeared a few yards in front of him.

"Greeting leaf ninja" Haku spoke.

"Drop the pleasantries, you called me out here for a reason … now spit it out" Naruto spoke emotionless and cold.

"I've come to ask you to abandon your mission, Zabuza-sama will kill all who oppose him" The girl spoke, getting straight to the point.

"And does this message come from Zabuza himself … or on his Behalf unknowingly?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"On his behalf, unknowingly … I do not wish to have to kill you all, it would make both our lives easier if only the bridge builder were to die yes? One sacrifice for the good of many" Haku spoke, just as cold and unforgiving as the blonde before her.

"For the good of many?" Naruto snorted "That man is this countries last life line, the country is depending on him to finish that bridge and break Gato's hold on wave … and you want to deny an entire nation the right to freedom?" Naruto's face was one of disbelief.

Haku flinched slightly behind her mask as she looked down to the right.

"Zabuza-sama plans to kill Gato once our transaction is complete" Haku spoke firmly.

"And then what? You leave wave in an even bigger mess, full of bandits without someone to pay their meals … wave country would be consumed by war within days … I cannot … no I WILL NOT ALLOWW THAT TO HAPPEN!" Naruto declared defiantly to the fake hunter nin.

Haku sighed and lowered her head slightly "I will fulfil my master's wishes … even if I have to bring an entire nation of innocents to its knee's in order to accomplish it!" Haku retorted passionately.

"Why? Why serve such a despicable man?" Naruto asked quietly, his face screwed up in confusion as he tried to understand her twisted masters dreams.

"Because he is precious to me!" Haku said simply and quietly.

Naruto's face softened at her reason, he now knew her position and reasons for doing what she had done … Anko wasn't exactly the most respected or sane person in his village but she was precious to him all the same and he'd do almost anything if she asked him too.

"Your loyalty is admirable, but it is misplaced in a man who thinks only for him self and of his own goals" Naruto said, raising his head to look straight into the eye slits of Haku's mask as he shook his head slightly.

"Tomorrow we will fight for our dreams and for our loved ones … and one of us will have our dreams die with them" Haku said with determination.

"Had I met you any place else, we could have been friends …" Naruto spoke quietly and with a sad smile before they both disappeared just as a gentle breeze swept through the clearing.

* * *

><p><strong>With Hinata and Sakura.<strong>

Hinata and Sakura were sat in the 'main room' of their tent outside Tazuna's house, waiting for Naruto to come back from his walk. They had been talking about what they hoped they would do on their dates when they got back to the village.

"I like ramen and all, and I know Naruto-kun worships the stuff but I hope he doesn't take me to Ichiraku for our fist date" Hinata said hopefully.

"Naruto can be clueless at times, but I don't think he's that stupid … I bet he's gona take you on one hell of a date … the only problem you have is what your gona wear" Sakura said as she smiled at the Heiress.

"Ah ! I hadn't even thought of that! What am I going to do?" Hinata started to panic.

"Hinata! Chill the fuck out! I got this!" Sakura said, eventually succeeding in calming her best friend down.

"I'm chilled" Hinata said awkwardly, though the panic stricken look on her face would say otherwise.

"Hinata this situation calls for a single and basic solution, were going shopping when we get back to Konoha and we will get you the hottest damn dress the village has … or die trying … the fashion world is more vicious than the shinobi world some times" Sakura spoke darkly as she pulled out a map from inside her flack vest and unfolded it out onto the table to show a map of Konoha market district.

Hinata's eyes looked over it and widened, he eyes shot up to Sakura who held an evil smirk "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes … the fabled map of the Oniomaniac" Sakura whispered.

"I thought it was a myth?" Hinata whispered back, mesmerised by the maps colour-coded shops and neat notations.

"No, It is very real … and to be kept secret at all costs!" Sakura spoke quietly, sending a threatening glare to her best friend at the end of that sentence.

"you have my word I wont relate to anyone what I have seen here" Hinata said, holding her hand over her heart.

"Good … now … first thing is the dress, then shoes, then make-up" Sakura started, pointing to several different locations on the map. This particular conversation continued for another half hour before Naruto returned in a somewhat sombre mood, when asked if he was okay he smiled and told the girl he had been feeling a bit home sick.

And both girls knew his excuse was bullshit but they didnt press him for a real answer, after all he was probably tired and if it were important he'd have told them why he was really so down trodden. He soon had a smile on his face when he made himself and the girls some instant ramen.

"So what did the two of you do while I was gone" asked Naruto curiously.

"Talk" Both girls replied at the same time.

Naruto paused eating his noodles mid slurp. After a moment he bit the noodles, letting them fall back into the broth and swallowed the rest before placing the now half empty, or half full cup ramen on the table and cleared his throat, eyes closed before he chose his next words very, very carefully.

"I see …" He said evenly and smoothly.

"Yes" Sakura replied, her tone just as calm as Naruto's.

There was an awkward silence as Naruto refused to make direct contact with either girl until it was broken by Sakura.

"Which do you pre-fare: Red, purple or black?" asked Sakura.

"Red" Naruto said quickly before going back to his ramen cup, failing to notice the devious smirks on the two girl faces, he always was pretty oblivious to anyone and everything if he had ramen distracting him.

Thankfully Sakura had put away the map otherwise Naruto would have found out exactly what they were talking about, besides, it was fun to mess with him every now and then and the opportunity very rarely presented itself.

Kiba peeked his head into the tent a moment later and smiled "Hey Sakura-chan, up for coming for a walk with me and Akamaru again?"

"Yeah sure" Sakura smiled and got up and left with Kiba, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in the tent.

"I'll be back in a minute" Naruto smiled as he disappeared into his side of the tent, closing the flap behind him.

Hinata smiled slightly and went into her and Sakura's side, retrieving a scroll she came back into the main room.

"Hello Hyuga ..."

"What do you want Uchiha?" she asked simply, not even looking towards him as she sat back down.

Sasuke sat across from her and stared at her. She looked up at him from her scroll with a scowl "Yes?" she asked with a harsh tone.

"Now, now … there's no need to be like that … you and I have unfinished buisness to discuss" Sasuke smirked as he leaned closer to Hinata.

Hinata looked back up to him, her chest tightening. She didnt like the look he was giving her and her instincts told her to run and get away from him.

"You see I find myself in a position where I need to rebuild an entire clan … which is going to take a long time, now then, I already offered you the privilege and pleasure of receiving me" Sasuke paused as his smirk widened slightly into a sinister snarl.

"But you denied me … the word 'no' isn't something I like to hear … so when I want something, I take it by force!" Sasuke stood, launching the table between them away with a single swipe. Hinata backed away as Sasuke laughed slightly.

"Be Honoured Hyuga … you're going to do me, your village and the world a service by restoring my noble bloodline" Sasuke smirked as he allowed himself a little laugh "Furthermore, if you prove to produce me a strong child then I'll even consider you again to breed plenty more Uchiha" he spoke the last part, his voice filled with lust as he had Hinata backed up against the wall of the tent, his arm level with her head to cut off her escape out of the tent as she shook with fear of what was happening to her.

A dark and cold pressure fell over the tent, Sasuke felt his knee's wobble slightly but grit his teeth and kept himself upright to turn and find Naruto a few foot away from him, shirtless and holding both of his Wakizashi on his shoulder's, crossing each other at the nape of his neck.

Sasuke openly growled at the blonde "You! You're always getting in my way!" he spat before her turned back to Hinata and took a step forward, only to be blasted out of the tent, sending him skidding along the ground.

Naruto made his way over to Sasuke quickly as the last Uchiha slowly attempted to get on his feet. As Naruto reached him, Sasuke quickly lashed out with a kunai hidden in his sleeve, catching Naruto across the chest. Naruto batted Sasuke away before looking at the lucky hit Sasuke had managed "Great … I'm gona need stitches for this one" he growled.

"Good! I hope I can kill you with my next hit!" Sasuke shouted in rage at the blonde.

"You're going to need more than me" Naruto said darkly before he disappeared from sight and appeared behind Sasuke, Sasuke turned, now clutching his bleeding forearm.

Naruto struck again, to fast for Sasuke to follow, leaving two more cuts on his back, making the Uchiha arch backwards and screech out in agony.

Naruto shot past again, leaving three cuts on his chest and stomach before darting past Sasuke over and over again until Sasuke was covered in small lacerations and a few deep cuts. Until finally the blonde appeared in font of the Uchiha, ready for the final blow, but it was not to be as a kunai blocked his swords.

Naruto looked to the left to find Kakashi staring at him "That's enough! … Naruto, go see to Hinata … I'll deal with this trash" Kakashi commanded.

Naruto growled slightly at being interrupted before he spat in Sasuke's face and punched him, sending the bleeding Uchiha reeling to the ground below with a thud. Naruto ran over to the tent and found Sakura was holding on to a shaking Hinata, Kiba and Akamaru close by, watching and waiting to jump in if necessary.

"Hinata-chan … Hinata-chan are you okay?" Naruto asked kneeling down in front of her.

She nodded shakily before she threw herself at him, clinging to him tightly as she cried "I … I'm s-sorry … I f-froze u-up" she sobbed.

Naruto shushed her and stroked her hair "It's okay Hinata … I'll never let him touch you, ever!" Naruto whispered soothingly, holding her tighter.

After a couple of minutes she seemed to calm down whilst Kiba and Sakura helped one another clean up the mess in the tent, including putting the table back in place. Sakura and Kiba left the tent to give the two some privacy.

"Naruto-kun … y-your hurt" Hinata said through her tear soaked eyes as she looked up from his slashed chest to his face.

"I don't care … I want to make sure your okay before I do anything else … right now, let me worry about you" he said as he kissed her forehead, and smiled at her, using his thumb to wipe away her tears.

"It hurts worse seeing you upset then the wound on my chest" Naruto smiled softly at her. She couldn't help but smile at him, he always did care about her thoughts and feelings more than his own. She kissed his lips softly before she pulled away reluctantly and opened her eyes to look at him.

"T-Thank you N-Naruto-kun" she whispered.

Naruto smiled and returned her kiss with one of his own "It's what I'm here for Hinata-hime"

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile.<strong>

"I hope you realise how lucky you are that I stepped in, Naruto was fully prepared to take your head off" Kakashi spoke to Sasuke, who was now bound to a tree with ninja wire, which didnt help his cuts my much.

"Like I needed your help!" he spat back, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Well fortunately, the village deems you too valuable to kill … unfortunately for you, were not in the village and even worse for you … I HATE rapists" Kakashi spoke, his one visible eye darkening as he knelt down to a kunai embedded into the ground with the wire holding Sasuke tied off to it.

Kakashi pulled the kunai further toward him, tightening the wire around Sasuke for a moment. "Is it painful? Good! … cause im not even started yet" Kakashi said as he gagged Sasuke to silence his protests.

"There are five elements … lets start with my own, Lightning" Kakashi said darkly, holding his hand up as it burst out into violent, crackling lightning Chakra.

* * *

><p><strong>With Naruto &amp; Hinata.<strong>

Naruto was sat on his camping bed, it was a fairly simple contraption, much like a fold out chair. Hinata sat on a chair in front of him as she stitched his chest as neatly as she could. Naruto looked at the girls medical kit to find it had grown beyond that of the medium sized basic first aid kit he had bought her from Muramasa's.

"I'm definitely going to have to get you some medical training … stitches are uncomfortable" Naruto said quietly as Hinata pulled the threading through his flesh to tighten the wound gently, even with his regeneration ability it had been a deep cut and would have needed medical attention eventually.

"I kn-know, I'm almost d-done Naruto-kun" Hinata said quietly, as she knotted the last stitch and cut away the excess thread.

"D-Does it still h-hurt?" she asked him as she put the scissors and threading away and retrieved one of her own ointments. Opening it up, Naruto caught a cent of wild flowers as she gently dabbed it along the nasty cut on his chest, making him wince slightly before it took its effect, dulling the pain and soothing him to relax.

"Not any more Hinata-chan … thank you" Naruto smiled as he watched her unravel some bandages. She looked up at him nervously and back to his chest. She nervously moved forward, wrapping her arms around his waist gently before pulling the bandages around his back and chest, taking her time.

Naruto looked down at her and found she was blushing furiously at such close contact with him. He smiled and blushed himself before he spoke quietly to her.

"Lets hope that next time you see my shirtless isn't when im in need of your medical treatment" he laughed just as Hinata was finishing up and tying the bandage.

"H-Hopefully" Hinata smiled, though blushing.

Naruto blushed, not expecting a reply from that particular comment, he shifted nervously as Hinata sat back on the chair in front of his bed in silence. He stood slowly.

"Its getting late ..." Naruto said quietly.

Hinata's shoulders slumped slightly "I … d-don't want to b-be alone" she whispered quietly.

Naruto smiled softly and knelt down in front of her, lifting her chin to look her in the eyes "I didnt say you had to leave" he said softly with a true smile.

Hinata allowed herself a small smile before she kissed him and pulled him into a hug "Thank y-you"

* * *

><p><strong>With Sakura and Kiba.<strong>

"when we get back to Konoha … the shit will hit the fan" Sakura commented, sat at the dining table with Tazuna, Tsunami, Kiba and Shino.

"I thought Naruto was going to kill him for sure" Kiba said, stroking Akamaru behind the ears.

"He was" Sakura stated simply, earning a shocked look from Kiba. She had never seen her blonde team mate so enraged … and not show its influence, that in itself must have been hard for Naruto to do as 'It' reacted to strong negative emotions.

"I do not blame Naruto-san" Shino said, causing the others to look at him.

"Last Uchiha or not, it doesn't give him a right to do what he tried to with Hinata" Kiba said in disgust, Akamaru growling in agreement.

"He will get away with it though, the Civilian council outnumber the shinobi council two to one … they will block any form of severe punishment they try to deal to the bastard. Even my own mother will take his side" Said Sakura sadly.

"Haruno-san … though the council may not be able to punish him, I'm sure he will receive adequate treatment from Kakashi-sensei" Shino said quietly as he seemed to be smiling slightly, a single Kikai bug on his finger tip.

"Guys I think we should go to bed, its late and were all up early tomorrow" Sakura said as she stood.

"Sounds like a good plan if you ask me" Tazuna said quietly.

Sakura bid the others goodnight and left the house, making her way into the tent, she was slightly worried to find that Hinata was missing from their side of the tent as she thought she would be well asleep by now. She looked around the tent before she peeked her head into Naruto's side to see if he knew where Hinata was.

The sight that greeted her was one of Naruto and Hinata asleep in each others arms. She could see that Hinata had been crying and assumed she hadn't wanted to be alone tonight. If she was Honest with herself, she wouldn't want to be alone either after going through what Hinata had, it was every woman's worst nightmare. Sakura smiled to herself slightly and left the two alone to sleep. She wouldn't disturb them tonight, besides Hinata would kill her the next morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Well there it is, chapter 10. <strong>

**Oniomaniac : the technical term for a shopoholic.**

**this took a little longer than I had hoped to write due to me getting drunk , acting a complete dick head, splitting my eyebrow open and impairing my vision for the past two days. Though I did get to meet a really nice girl who uses this site and Is supposedly reading this story. I can only hope I don't disappoint her :3**

**also like to say thanks to a few people for pointing out misspellings in my work :3**

**aaaanyway as always I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**


	11. An Uncaring Mask

**An Uncaring Mask**

Naruto awoke with a slight weight on his chest, he shifted slightly, trying to hold onto what little chance of going back to sleep he could before he opened his eyes and looked down to find Hinata's blue-black hair in his vision. He smiled slightly as he gently shook her awake.

"Hinata-chan … its time to wake up" Naruto whispered into her ear.

Hinata stirred and opened her eyes lazily to look up at him. She blushed, seeing as she had woken up whilst lying on top of her boyfriend. She sat up, her legs resting at either side of Naruto's hips as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, clearly she had no idea of the position she was in or the deep blush on Naruto's face.

Naruto averted his eyes from Hinata, doing his best to push down the new feelings and emotions and banish the images entering his head a mile a minute. After a moment, Hinata got off of him, still not seeming to realise quite what had just happened, though it was probably for the best.

He watched as she slowly started putting on her armour and weapons when Naruto stood up and stopped her, snaking his arms around her waist, she dropped her vest back on the chair and placed her arms over his, smiling slightly.

"Good morning Hinata-hime" He said quietly, kissing her check before he let go of her to put his own gear on and to leave Hinata to finish putting on hers.

They both walked into the main room at the same time to find Sakura, sat at the table, giving them both a blank stare. Both teens froze at the possible implication their sleeping arrangements may have had on their team-mate and sat down at the table across from Sakura, neither of the two wanting to speak.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourselves?" Sakura asked seriously.

"Don't worry, we were just sleeping, nothing else happened" Naruto defended immediately.

"Good … at least keep it that way when I'm around" Sakura smirked before she got up and lead the other two inside the main house where they were greeted by Tsunami and sat down for breakfast.

Hinata stiffened when she saw Sasuke sat next to Kakashi, though he hadn't even acknowledged her or her team as they entered, he just kept his head down and his black brooding eyes on his plate. It was then that Hinata noticed his busted lip and painfully swollen black eye, from what she could see of his arms they ere covered in dark purple lines and small burns, his hair and clothes here dirty and he looked exhausted.

Everyone had smiles on their faces except Sasuke.

"Morning guys!" Kiba called as team seven took a seat as far away from Sasuke as possible.

"Morning Kiba-kun" Sakura greeted him with a smile, sitting opposite him.

Naruto looked between Sasuke and Kakashi before he sat down.

"Regarding the incident last night … Sasuke will be brought up in front of the Hokage on a sexual assault charge and assault of a fellow shinobi … unfortunately, the team plans I had yesterday are still going ahead for today, I need to keep an eye on Sasuke and I need Hinata's eyes" Kakashi said simply.

Naruto hated the idea now more than he did the last time he heard it, but it wasn't his decision to make on weather Hinata got to go or not. But he chose to voice exactly how he felt about it.

"If Hinata tells me that he" Naruto pointed to Sasuke with a look of disgust before he continued "Even looked at her funny, I will take trophies next time" he said to Kakashi before he looked directly at the Uchiha who managed a weak glare back.

"I will tear your eyes from your fucking pretty little head next time" Naruto spat darkly, sending a slight shiver up Kakashi's spine. He saw Anko in him as he had said that and that woman had done worse before.

"Don't worry Naruto … I'll keep an eye on them both" Kakashi promised.

"For his sake, you'd better" Naruto replied coldly.

Kakashi never blamed Naruto for how he spoke toward him or Sasuke. After the way Sasuke had tried to force himself on the blonde's team-mate he was livid with the boy himself and ashamed to be his teacher. He had tried to refuse teaching him a few times but unfortunately for Kakashi, Obito's eye made him the most experienced Sharingan user in the leaf village.

Kakashi sighed slightly as he sent a glare to Sasuke before he stood up "Right! Hinata, Kiba and Sasuke lets get going" Kakashi commanded as Tazuna appeared to be waiting to go to the bridge.

Hinata got up reluctantly, Kiba followed her out of the door and Sasuke followed when Kakashi walked.

Naruto sighed once they left and looked to Sakura and Shino "I have a bad feeling about all this" he said as he shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

* * *

><p><strong>At The Bridge.<strong>

The group arrived to find the bridge covered in a thick mist but more worrying than that was the complete lack of sound coming from the usually busy construction site. The mist cleared a little to reveal Zabuza stood with his head downcast, bodies of the construction workers littered the now dark red soaked concrete.

Tazuna immediately fell to his knees as tears streamed from his eyes, these men had been more than just workers. They had been his friends with families of their own and now they were all dead, because of the man stood before them.

"Ah … It feels good to warm up before a good fight" Came Zabuza's voice as he looked up at Kakashi's group with a twisted smile.

"Zabuza, these men were unarmed … why kill them?" Kakashi asked, sending a glare toward the Nuke-nin.

"I got bored whilst waiting for you to arrive with your team …" Zabuza smirked, hefting his blade up to point at the team before settling on Hinata.

"You, girl, I have a special surprise in store for you" Zabuza glared as two figures appeared, one either side of them. Zabuza looked to the left to find Haku.

"You take care of the two boys, Kakashi is mine" Zabuza stated as Haku stepped forward, retrieving several senbon needles from her utility pouch.

Zabuza's head snapped over to Hien, her shoulders slumped "And you Hien … Kill the girl" Zabuza spat at the woman.

Zabuza glared at her when she didnt move or acknowledge his command. He brought his hand up in a single seal. Hien jolted and held her stomach in agony. She fell to one knee as the pain ripped its way through her, her skin felt as if she were being burnt, her ears rang with absolute pain. she screamed out load, holding her head in agony with one hand as she held he stomach with the other.

"I Told you to do something!" Zabuza snarled.

Hien took deep, ragged breaths as she slowly got back to her feet and slowly stepped forward toward Hinata when she stopped, her head toward the Hyuga girl in front of her as she still took in huge breaths of air.

"I'm sorry child … but I have to kill you …" Hien said sadly before she charged at Hinata full speed.

Hinata froze for only a second before she dodged Hien's attack and landed behind the woman.

Hinata made a single seal and took her Taijutsu stance "Byakugan!"

Hien turned slowly and smiled sadly "So … you really are a Hyuga" Hien said sadly before she rubbed her head in pain from the seals effects.

"It makes little difference what clan im from" Hinata said as she charged.

Hien quickly ran through a set of hand seals before she called the name of her technique.

"Hyouton: Koori no Yaiba!" Hien called loudly, slamming her palms on the ground in front of herself. The ground in front of her shot upward in jagged shards of ice, coiling around Hien's right hand, she pulled her arm free, producing a Katana-like blade of finely serrated ice.

Hinata allowed her eyes to widen at the weapon as Hien charged straight for her, slashing and slicing at Hinata, the blade whistling as it arced through the air at high speed.

Hinata caught Hien on the chin with her open palm, knocking the woman through the air, only to land on her feet gently. Hien whipped her blade back, the very edge of the blade glistened with the reddish tint of Hinata's frozen blood.

Hinata's hand reached up to her upper arm to cover the shallow cut.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile<strong>

Sasuke and Kiba had been trying furiously to keep up with Haku's speed, let alone actually physically hit the fake hunter nin. Haku sidestepped a wild and furious head on attack before he easily dodged a punch from Sasuke.

"Not even close … If this is really the best you can do, you're going to die" Haku spoke with a tone of disappointment before dealing a devastating kick to Kiba's head, sending the boy shooting into the concrete with a crack as he landed on his shoulder.

Kiba howled in pain as Sasuke simply ignored him in favour of attacking Haku with a kunai, only to find Haku blocking with a single senbon with little to no effort before backing away from Sasuke and Kiba.

* * *

><p><strong>Hinata.<strong>

Both of them panted for breath, Hinata had managed only a single hit whilst Hien had scored several shallow cuts along Hinata's arms. The both concentrated on the other as Hien started to speak.

"I really don't want to fight with you … but I have this seal you see, so I have no choice" Hien cried, she felt absolutely horrible that she was going to have to kill this girl.

Hinata honestly felt for the woman, she had seen the suffering and pain that seals caused and didnt hold it against her for trying to kill her, but that didnt mean she was going to make it easy for her, she had her own mission and her own hopes and dreams to fulfil.

"I'm sorry … but I cant simply roll over and die for you" Hinata said sincerely before she watched Hien scream in pain, holding her forehead as the woman's tears seemed to seep through the cloth of her headband and down her cheeks.

Hinata seized this opportunity and dashed in to Hien's defence to quick for the pain racked woman to defend. Hinata struck at the woman's arms, shutting down some of the tenketsu before she sent a double palm thrust to the woman chest, sending her hurtling back through the air and skidding along the ground for a few meters.

"I missed ..." Hinata scolded herself, watching as the woman slowly got back to her feet, the blade of ice melting into water instantly as she hacked up blood, she seemed to face Hinata as she panted heavily.

"You missed my heart … you should have killed me, I wont hold back on you any more" Hien said as she made a hand seal.

"You cut off the majority of my Chakra flow to my arms … it is unfortunate" said Hien as she lifted two fingers to her upper arm and jabbing it gently in several locations.

Hinata's eyes widened as she watched the woman re-open her tenketsu … only a Hyuga of strong blood and a highly developed Byakugan could achieve this.

"You're-"

"Yes … a Hyuga … or, I was, I am dead to that clan" Hien spoke as she tore of her headband to reveal the distinctive eyes and veins of the Byakugan, glaring at Hinata.

"I … I don't know you" Hinata spoke as she stared at the woman in front of her.

"Good … all the easier for you to kill me" Hien said as she dashed forward, making a single hand seal before she lashed out at Hinata with a flurry of lightning fast strikes. Hinata managed to dodge most of the hits but the few that did get her were surprisingly light and painless, until she felt herself slowing down and taking more and more of the hits. Quickly she realised that Hien was using the ice element in combination with gentle fist, causing whatever muscles or tendons she hit to stiffen and constrict with an almost freezing effect.

Hinata leapt away from the woman, landing a few meters away and tried to move he now stiff arms.

'Crap … she's an advanced gentle fist user … and that ice element give her a clear advantage over me … and she's still holding back' Hinata thought to herself as she rubbed her arms to increase blood flow ant try and shake off the effects, if only a little, though she noticed that her hands were quickly going numb.

"You don't wear your headband on your forehead to hide your shame like the rest of the cadet branch" Hien spoke.

Hinata smirked slightly, she'd take this chance to stall the woman and try to regain some of her lost feeling in her hands.

"I'm not of the cadet branch … and neither are you, I cant see the caged bird seal on your forehead"

"Then … you are of the main house, and therefore … you must be the heiress" Hien stated as she looked Hinata up and down.

"Perhaps … but why would a Hyuga be running around with a missing nin? And an unsealed Hyuga at that?" Hinata asked, trying to get any information as to the woman's past.

"I was once a head house Hyuga … I was betrayed, an elder Kidnapped me a few hours after I had given birth with the help of two ANBU, he branded me with a bastardised version of the caged bird seal and had me smuggled out of the village and to a slave trader in water country where I was sold into servitude to Zabuza" Hien spoke, her voice as cold as the ice she so easily wielded.

Hinata listened intently as she stared at the woman before her before she asked another question "You have children with the clan? Who?"

"I have said far too much already! Use the seal to kill me or you're going to die!" Hien screamed as she rushed Hinata.

Hinata jumped back further, unleashing a hail or shuriken, slowing Hien down as Hinata raced through hand seals as quickly as she could but it was useless as Hien was upon her within less than a second, causing Hinata to abandon her jutsu and dodge out of the way. Hinata quickly made two Mizu bunshin to distract Hien whilst she took out some Kunai and wire.

Hinata threw the kunai and jerked on the wire, wrapping it around Hien tightly. Hinata allowed herself a small smile before the wire around Hien strained and shattered, falling to the ground like shattered glass.

"You're going to have to use the seal to kill me!" Hien shouted as she raced toward Hinata again.

"I never have and will never use the caged bird seal for my own selfish needs!" Hinata said as she watched her two clones being turned to ice by Hien's touch.

'all of my jutsu wont work on her … she just freezes the water or makes my tools brittle enough to snap with ease … I don't think I cant win this, and im running low on Chakra" Hinata thought to herself as she once again found herself assaulted by the woman.

Hinata dodged Hien again and again, her muscles tightening with every hit the woman made. Hinata dodged Hien's fingertips narrowly before she was blasted back to the ground a few feet away by Hien's open palm to her chest.

Hinata slowly managed to prop herself up on her elbows and scoot back a bit as Hien moved closer, the blade of serrated ice forming in her hand once more.

"I'm sorry" Hien spoke as she raised her blade high, struggling to bring it down on the girl when Hinata suddenly yelped in pain as several senbon needles pierced her throat and back before she fell limp.

Hien looked to the direction of the senbon to find Haku with his arm outstretched, his mask's marking portraying a cruel crimson smirk from his angle before he himself fell back into battle with Sasuke and Kiba,

Hien looked back to Hinata's still form and fell to her knees … the pain she was feeling at that moment was so intense and overwhelming that the caged bird seal on her back tickled in comparison as she quickly checked for the girls pulse and found nothing. Hien simply knelt next to the body of the girl as she let her tears fall down her face, turning to ice before falling away in the wind like dust.

Hien slowly and carefully pulled the body of Hinata up into her arms, finding her to begin growing cold already as she held her tightly, crying silently, she had come here ready to die today. To die and be forgotten, to disappear from the world and memory.

"I never wanted to see you like this ..." she whispered to herself as she bent down and kissed the dead girls forehead softly before opening her eyes to stare at the small girls face. She let her tears flow freely, a small sad smile tugged at her lips as she brushed some of the girls hair away from her face.

"My little girl's dead … because of me …" Hien sobbed to herself quietly as her body shook with every breath, holding Hinata's body as close as possible.

* * *

><p><strong>Earlier, elsewhere.<strong>

Naruto smirked as he watched Gato's two samurai wannabes walk up the path toward Tazuna's house. Naruto allowed himself an evil smirk as he simply relaxed and observed from his comfortable position on the roof. It was funny that these men hadn't even looked the house over to see if there were guards outside, they were over confident.

"These poor bastards don't even realise they were dead the minute they started walking up the path" Naruto whispered quietly to himself with a silent laugh.

Down below the two samurai had stopped when Inari had walked out of the house and frozen as he had caught sight of them.

Both of the thugs smirked as they drew their Katana without even the slightest of elegance in their movement, causing the small boy to stiffen with fear as the two murderous thugs walked toward him slowly, resting their blades on their shoulders.

"Hey there kid … your mum home?" Asked the smaller of the two with the beanie hat whilst the other just grinned with sadistic glee.

Inari relaxed completely and smiled as his image wavered to reveal an older girl clad in black with pink hair.

"What the-" the taller of the started before he instinctively grasped at his throat to try and stem the blood spurting from his throat as he collapsed, a look of horror etched onto his face.

Surprisingly his partner immediately brought his hands together and released Sakura's Genjutsu to find his partner was indeed still gargling his own blood.

"Surprising … a hired thug who knows about Chakra is, very surprising, let alone using actual jutsu" came a cold voice from behind the thug.

He turned quickly to find a boy in a grey high collar coat and sunglasses staring at him.

The thug lifted his sword as Shino lifted his arm "I'm afraid you're out of your league" Shino said as his hive burst forth from his sleeve and engulfed the man entirely.

A few silent moments past as Sakura walked up to Shino.

"Got to be honest … your bugs still creep me out a little, but damn … the fear in his eyes as they swarmed him was just ..." Sakura spoke.

"Epic" Naruto finished for her as he landed next to the other two silently.

Sakura simply nodded and Shino smiled slightly before hiding it just as quick as it came. Shino looked between his fellow comrades and spoke.

"I believe it is safe to say that Mitarashi-san's teachings and ... mannerism have somewhat rubbed off on you both" Shino noted, looking back down to the now still corpse his Kikai had started to feast upon.

"And I had no idea that Kikai were carnivorous" Naruto said as he knelt down to admire the bugs Piranha-like frenzy over their feast.

"Omnivores, actually, they will eat anything from human flesh to rotting wood and vegetation, but they prefer Chakra, being able to harness the energy themselves as a source of nutrition, something that my clan have been studying for generations" Shino spoke, almost enthusiastic, getting looks of surprise from both Sakura and Naruto.

After a slightly awkward and silent staring contest, Naruto simply shrugged before addressing the other two

"You two stay here, I'm going to back up the others at the bridge, no doubt Zabuza and his hunter nin are making things difficult … besides … im itching for a scrap with one of the legendary swordsman of the mist" Naruto said with a feral grin as his hand s instantly gripped his Wakizashi hilts with raw excitement and anticipation.

"Naruto … you've been trained by Konoha's absolute best Kenjutsu specialist! But don't forget … Zabuza is an a-ranked missing nin … he is famous for his use of his sword … be careful, because one single slip up, and he will kill you" Sakura warned him seriously as he began to walk away.

Naruto stopped when she finished speaking and turned to her with a look of serene calm and nodded before turning away from Sakura and Shino and disappearing from sight.

Sakura new the look she had seen on Naruto's face, having seen it only once before, that same serene calmness. Oh she remembered that day, and would for the rest of her life. The day she found out just how brutal her chosen career path could be.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback.<strong>

Team Anko walked down the dirt path road toward the next town to deliver a scroll, it wasn't really that far to go there and back, so the team had decided on a leisurely walking pace, besides it was only a d-rank … nothing special.

"Sakura, you know you can eat whatever you want and still maintain a good figure, look at Anko sensei … all's she eats is shite and she doesn't get fat … much" Naruto smirked, his hands clasped behind his head as he walked.

"Watch your mouth you little blonde prick" Anko warned with a grin.

"Banter, Anko-sensei, all banter" Naruto grinned back at her, making the Jounin glare at him slightly, though she couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Ah! You smiled! I'm off the hook!" Naruto laughed at Anko.

Anko just shook her head whilst her Genin team laughed. She'd allow it, this time. After all she had been training them into the ground … literally. But she had grown attached to her two new students, more so than she thought she would have, though nowhere near on the level of the relationship she had with Naruto.

She watched her team talk and laugh with each other when a chill went down her spine … and she noticed Naruto twitch ever so slightly too. Good. He knew.

Naruto tensed up slightly before he relaxed and continued to talk and laugh with Hinata and Sakura, though his mind was focused entirely on something else.

Only seconds later did a group of five men run out in front of the Konoha group, blocking their path.

"Hand over whatever your carrying and you can all walk away unharmed! Come on quickly!" demanded one of the bandits, clearly the leader.

"excuse me gentlemen, but we have somewhere to be and I'd rather not hand over my possessions … now, if you'll kindly step aside-" Naruto started as he continued walking forward. He got halfway past the bandit leader when the man tried to shove Naruto back.

Naruto reacted quickly and with a metallic click Naruto was still stood where he was, no one had seen him move, yet all save Anko were shocked when the man slid down to the ground. Naruto hopped back slightly to avoid the quickly advancing pool of blood that seemed to spread from the still body now on the ground.

"The little shit was hiding a blade! Kill him!" Shouted one of the other bandits who immediately took a swing at Naruto with his club.

Naruto drew his Wakizashi at lightning speed as he leapt past the man, leaving him to limply fall to his knees before falling forward, his waist line flowing with dark blood.

Another bandit attacked Sakura only for her to dodge and instinctively lash out with a kunai.

The one who attacked Hinata tried to swipe at her with what she guessed was … a sharpened garden rake? She simply dodged him with ease, it wasn't hard, he was quite clueless with the way he swung his gardening rake of doom from left to right. She even started to have fun, tapping him every now and then just so she could piss him off more.

Anko didnt even bother moving, she just smirked as her Genin either toyed with their prey or outright killed it …. more like slaughtered it in the most cruel and terrifying ways. She never felt so proud …she smirked at how this was much like how the giant tigers in the forest of death watched their offspring make their first kills.

"Girls … Finnish up, didnt your mothers ever tell you not to play with your food … I mean … victims?" Anko said, confusing herself in the process. Stupid tigers.

Sakura took what Anko said as a command and with the first chance she got and with a yell of fury she drove her kunai into the bandits stomach and ripped it out quickly, bringing the bandit to his knees before Sakura grabbed a hand full of his hair, yanking his head to the side before she repeatedly plunged her blade in and out of the man's neck, blood spattering over her face as she let out her frustration on the poor goon in front of her. When she calmed down she came to terms with what she had done, looking down at her hands covered in her opponents blood.

She slowly backed away from the body before she turned to vomit.

Anko had watched, amused and impressed before she looked over to Hinata's fight to see the girl standing calmly in front of her opponent who looked to be out of breath … and unfortunately out of time as Hinata's Byakugan activated. She dashed forward and slammed her palm into his forehead, effective turning off his brain … in a manner of speaking.

She too quickly followed Sakura's example and threw up her lunch on the bandit in front of her, seeing this, Anko actually had to laugh. It was the most hilarious end to a fight she'd seen in a while.

Then she looked over to Naruto as he just finished the third and final bandit with a downward slash to the face, cleaving through muscle and bone with ease. He straightened up and turned to look at his team mates, his face an unreadable, emotionless mask of calmness.

This was the face Sakura saw when she looked up, the look on his face was burnt into her memory for the rest of her life, a face of such calm uncaring and yet not cold or remorseful … just absolute neutrality.

**Flashback End.**

Sakura shivered slightly as she tried to shake the images of that day from her mind, she was kind of annoyed she would miss out on an epic battle at the bridge but glad she wouldn't have to witness Naruto's soon to be brutal rampage.

* * *

><p><strong>All done for this chapter, sorry for the long wait. I had a major case of skyrim and world of warcraft … but I was sick with shingles ^^; . . .<strong>

**admittedly****, i had some difficulty on this chapter. im sure you can see where.**

**aaaaanyway as always, I hope you've enjoyed it. Let me know what you thing :3**


	12. Our Storm Is Over

Our Storm Is Over.**  
><strong>

Naruto sped through the tree's at top speed knowing that he had plenty of energy to burn and that Zabuza would be in a weakened state due to his fight with Kakashi. He smiled, thinking how he could finally test his sword skill against an opponent who would actually try to kill him. Whilst training with Hayate, he had been, cut and bruised badly but he had never been in a fight with someone of Zabuza's level. A man with at least two decades of experience on him … the thought of finally duelling to the death was exhilarating.

"This … this is the moment that I have trained for …" Naruto said quietly to himself, a spark of excitement sent a chill down his spine.

* * *

><p><strong>On the Bride.<strong>

Kakashi locked his Kunai to Zabuza's head cleaver with a spray of yellowish sparks and as soon as it came it went as flashes of yellow and the reverberating echo's of metallics clashing continued for a few moments until both Kakashi and Zabuza appeared a few meters apart and facing one another, sizing each other up.

"I wonder how your brats are holding up against my tools … if they are even still alive" Zabuza mused, his bandage covered face twisted upward in a snarling smirk, looking down his nose at Kakashi.

"Tools … that's all you see those two as? Then I feel sorry for you" Kakashi glared slightly at the man before fixing Zabuza with a more stern glare.

"I'm far from innocent, I once thought all shinobi were expendable … so long as the mission was complete then it didnt matter who died or who got hurt" Kakashi shook his head slightly before he stared at Zabuza "but you're worse than me, you truly are a heartless bastard …. to think so little of people who would die so you could achieve your goals … and what makes it so much worse is you're willing to crush an entire nation for your selfish needs"

"Like I give two shits about this fucking cesspool of a country, and as soon as I kill the bridge builder, ill simply move on to the next job. And that is all there is too it" Zabuza explained as he gave Kakashi a small glare.

Kakashi just narrowed his Sharingan eye at the man before him before he allowed his eye to drift to the left as he felt a presence behind him.

"Its about time you arrived" Kakashi said as he took a step back.

"I took the scenic route" Answered Naruto plainly as he stepped through the mist and toward Kakashi and stopped to stand beside him.

"Yet another useless Genin playing Ninja, Is Konoha really so lax in its training Kakashi?" Zabuza asked as he looked Naruto over with little interest.

"Momochi Zabuza … Demon of the bloody mist, yes I know exactly who you are and all about your _accomplishments_" Naruto said, the last word sarcastically.

Zabuza raised one of his non existent eyebrows at the blonde and hefted Kubikiri houcho onto his shoulder as he knelt down to Naruto's eye level "Then you are aware, that I'll happily murder women and children and ill murder you too brat" Zabuza growled out before smirking sadistically at the blonde boy.

"In case you failed to notice" Naruto paused, pushing the Tsuba of one of his Wakizashi up with his thumb, revealing just an inch of the blade with a quiet click "I have a pair of blades and I don't play ninja, I've killed people to protect my village and people who are precious to me! I am a shinobi! What do you fight for?" Naruto spoke seriously as Zabuza tried flared his Chakra to try and intimidate the blonde.

"You may have a blade … but don't even think you're half my level! I can crush you under the flat of my blade with my strength alone, what chance does a runty little shit kicker like you stand against one of the most elite swordsmen in all of the elemental nations?" Zabuza spat back as he slammed his own blade into the bridge.

"Then allow me to test myself against you, blade to blade" Naruto smirked as he whipped out his Wakizashi, holding it in a reverse grip so as you guard his fore arm.

"Don't fucking insult me!" Zabuza shot toward Naruto, his blade ripping through the concrete.

Kakashi jumped away from the two as Naruto sped forward at a speed which Kakashi never thought possible for the blonde. He was shocked further when Naruto and Zabuza clashed blades at a speed even he would be hard pressed to keep up with and what's more was the fact that not only did Naruto block Zabuza's blade, he even managed to somehow match his strength.

Zabuza swiped diagonally from below, only to have Naruto block the blade once more, holding the blade to his forearm.

"I've drawn my first blade on you … with it I protect those precious to me" Naruto said before hopping back and quickly drawing his other Wakizashi and held it normally in his right hand whilst the left was occupied by the other held in reverse grip. A moment passed before Naruto blurred forward, blocking Zabuza's blade as he attempted to cleave Naruto at the waist. Naruto used the momentum of the block to hurl himself over Zabuza's blade before he struck at the man with his Wakizashi. Zabuza leaned back, pulling his blade with him, causing Naruto to leap back.

Both blades-men stared at one another until Naruto flicked his Wakizashi forward, flicking some blood from the tip of his blade. Zabuza lifted his hand to his face and pulled back finding blood coming from his cheek down to the corner of his mouth, he looked at the blood on his hand before looking back to the blonde.

"I've drawn my second blade on you … with it I kill those that seek destroy everything I love … you want to kill Tazuna and destroy wave? … I will not let you. Tazuna is a good man … fighting to save his country, that is his dream and he and his family are precious to me … I will fight and die to see that he has his dream come true! Wave country is a free country!" Naruto spoke with absolute solid determination as he dropped into his Kenjutsu stance, his left hand gripping the defensive blade near his waist and still running along his forearm and extended out in his right was the other blade, held horizontally in front of himself. With bent knees he tensed the muscles in his legs before relaxing them slightly.

Kakashi stared at the blonde boy with wide eyes as did Tazuna who stood behind Kakashi. He thought he may be going crazy … but he believed Naruto could actually beat Zabuza. It was like hearing the determination and love filled voice of his sensei all over again, a man you couldn't help but believe in, even if the odds were stacked against him. In that moment, Kakashi allowed himself a small smile 'He's definitely your son sensei'.

Zabuza glared at the boy before readying his sword, blood lust and the intent to maim, kill and mutilate rolled off him in intoxicating waves as he stood up straight, staring down at Naruto.

"Come at me" Zabuza demanded.

Naruto smirked as he tensed his leg muscles once more "Ladies first"

The two suddenly leapt at one another, raising their blades in mid air.

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke &amp; Kiba. <strong>

Sasuke threw several shuriken at the fake hunter nin who simply caught them on the end of their senbon.

"You're going to need to up your game if you wish to beat me, at this level … this is child's play" the hunter nin spoke with an unemotional voice.

Sasuke simply threw a few more shuriken at the hunter nin, who dodged them with ease. But just as the last one aimed for her head was about to pass by, the shuriken whipped right for her. Reacting quickly and tilting her head back, Haku managed to evade the shuriken, but not with it shredding deeply into her mask.

The fake hunter nin immediately stood upright "Very innovative, using wire to redirect the shuriken flight path to try an saw through my head … unfortunately your wire glinted, had it not im sure you'd have killed me ... no more games, I'm going to kill you now" Haku spoke without emotion as she raced through hand seals.

"Hyouton: demonic ice mirrors" she called as the water vapour started to form large sheets of thick ice around Sasuke and Kiba. Haku walked to the nearest mirror and stepped into the mirror, causing her reflection to appear in every mirror around Sasuke and Kiba.

Sasuke scoffed at the ice and ran through and seals "Katon: Gokakyuu no jutsu!" he called out, inhaling deeply before spewing out fire at the icy mirrors. He smirked slightly as his fire consumed the mirrors in front of him.

"Was that meant to do something?" came a voice from inside the flames "Ice such as this cannot be destroyed by your infantile fire breathing jutsu" the voice spoke again as the flamed died out quickly not leaving so much as a scorch on the mirror as Haku's masked face stared at him, mocking him with that swirled crimson grin-like pattern.

"Infantile! I'll show you the power of the mighty Uchiha clan!" Sasuke snarled at her.

"If you're clan was so strong … why is it extinct?" Asked Haku.

"Its not extinct!" Sasuke shouted back at her, throwing a kunai it the mirror, only to have it bounce off harmlessly.

"Not yet" Haku replied as her reflection held both her hands up, full of senbon.

* * *

><p><strong>Kakashi.<strong>

Kakashi watched intently, his Sharingan eye spinning wildly as it tracked the movements of the two blade wielding warriors, one calm free flowing and unstoppable, the other a frenzied violent tornado of hacking and slashing. Kakashi watched this, mesmerised by it, he had seen his own father practice with his Chakra sabre when he was younger … and even then he had never seen such elegance in sword play.

"How can Naruto keep up with that brute?" Asked Tazuna as he tried to keep up with the fight.

"Because he has been taught by some of Konoha's top Jounin … and from what I heard he was good, but I never thought he would be at this level … he's stronger than I was at that age, this is unreal" Kakashi spoke as his eye darted around the bridge, ready to jump in at a moments notice.

Naruto twisted his body to dodge Zabuza's head cleaver from … well cleaving his head clean off his shoulders. He the leapt back a short distance and smiled excitedly at Zabuza.

"You are very very good, but its to be expected, especially when you've got twenty years experience on me. I didnt thing I'd enjoy myself this much … so I thank you for that, but I think its about time I go on the offensive" Naruto smirked.

Zabuza stared at the blonde with a frown, his blade extended toward the boy.

"And I have clearly under estimated you, but you're still wasting my time … you're still nowhere near my level. Prepare yourself, because im not playing any more" Zabuza spat before both he and Naruto rushed each other but was forced to block when Naruto lashed out with a lightning flurry of attacks, forcing Zabuza to hop back slightly to try and take another swing. Seeing this, Naruto moved in to Zabuza's defence, making his hard for the Legendary swordsman to even retaliate to the quick multiple strikes from the blonde. It was all Zabuza could do to to use his blade to block the attacks or at least deflect them but he was starting to receive more and more small lacerations as Naruto's strikes became swifter and swifter by the second.

Zabuza managed a powerful kick to Naruto's chest, repelling the blonde back a few meters onto the damp concrete floor but not without receiving a parting gift from Naruto. Zabuza clutched the deep gash on his upper arm to stem the blood flow. After realizing it wasn't that deep he straightened up and looked back to Naruto to find the blonde back on his feet though not unhurt as he was clutching his ribs and had coughed up a small amount of blood.

"Even … even if I have to take you down, slice my slice … I wont loose to you!" Naruto rasped out with a grin of determination before a spat a mouth full of blood to the floor and straightened up again.

"I'll admit brat … you're good with those butter knives and you have earned my respect, but now that you've really fucking pissed me off, I am seriously going to rip you to shreds!" Zabuza spat out before he leapt at the blonde, bringing his blade down on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto managed to block most of the blade but it had still nicked his shoulder. Zabuza quickly pushed down on the back of his blade and pulled the hilt upwards, putting immense pressure on Naruto and forcing him to his knees

Naruto opened his arms wide with a cocky grin, further infuriating Zabuza that this kid had the balls to act this way toward him.

"Come at me bro!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke &amp; Kiba.<strong>

Kiba had watched Sasuke and Haku's little skirmish, he smirked slightly when Sasuke got slugged in the face, sending him reeling back down to the concrete floor with a harsh thud.

Sasuke watched as Haku threw a hand full of senbon at him, his eyes widened and he instinctively replaced himself with the nearest possible object, Kiba.

Kiba yelped in pain as several senbon pierced his body, he looked over to Sasuke who only sighed in relief for himself and stared at the reflections without even paying Kiba any attention.

"WHAT THE FUCK! YOU SELFISH BASTARD, YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!" Kiba shouted in rage at his supposed team mate as he struggled to his feet.

"Shut up Inuzuka … your an expendable asset compared to me, my blood has more value" Sasuke spat out before glaring at Kiba "You should be grateful that you were of some use to me for once"

Kiba growled at the Uchiha before Haku's voice grabbed their attention.

"Using your own team mate to take the hit for you … that's low …" Haku spat from behind her mask.

"I'm an Uchiha, a wielder of the mighty Sharingan! My blood is noble and prestigious, priceless" Sasuke claimed as he glared at Haku.

"And yet the Hyuga girl could see through the fog and even damage Zabuza-sama, a man ten times my strength, yet you've barely scratched my mask" Haku said mockingly "If your eyes are so damn special …then why is it you are in this position … barely able to dodge me, face it … you are week, hiding behind that name and the achievements of your predecessors, thinking that because of your name and bloodline you have a divine right to strength. I will tell you know that the world doesn't work that way, in this world of shinobi, we have to kill to live and we live to kill … to cut out a rough and vile existence as murderers, thieves and rouges. None of us are divine, we are cursed!" Haku spat at Sasuke.

Sasuke simply stared at the masked girl before he spoke "If you really hate you life so much, come before me and I shall ease your suffering"

"Ha! If you want to kill me, then you'll have to work for it … I'm not going to roll over and die for you" Haku said before she threw senbon from behind Sasuke, hitting him in the shoulders.

* * *

><p><strong>Tazuna's house.<strong>

Shino and Sakura had taken care of the mess outside the house and had immediately set to trapping the area with trip explosives and signal flares. Shino used his bugs to scout a wide area around the house whilst Sakura started applying Genjutsu between the tree's.

Sakura soon finished and returned to Shino at the same time his bugs returned to him.

"Are we all done?" asked Sakura.

"Yes, no humans for at least three hundred meters, I've planted bugs throughout the forest, they will pass on information to me should anyone come this way, they will also be able to tell me from which direction and at what speed they are travelling at" Shino explained.

"Brilliant, so that way we will know what were up against and prepare for it before it arrives" Sakura smiled "I'm glad I was put on Naruto's team" she mused.

"How come? If you don't mind my asking" Shino inquired.

"Because I'm not week and helpless … he and Anko sensei have made me strong and I've found the kind of friends I hadn't thought were possible … I'm not longer a drooling fan-girlish day dreamer, im proud to call myself a Kunoichi" Sakura answered with a smile.

"I agree … you are better for their training, though I am envious of your teams close friendship, whilst myself and Kiba have a close friendship and partnership, Sasuke refuses to acknowledge us unless he has to or unless it benefits him, I don't trust him …. he is … unstable"

"You can say that again, He seems to have a massive log permanently wedged into his ass" Sakura sighed.

"Ouch" Shino cringed ever so slightly to which Sakura just smiled.

"You know … you and Kiba would be welcomed to train with our team" Sakura suggested.

"Myself and Kiba may just take you up on that offer, Kakashi-sensei is good but he lacks the motivation to teach us very much … he always has time for Sasuke, though I believe it to be forced" Shino spoke.

"Is that so? Well then you had better come to our training sessions … they are hard and brutal, but they will pay off" Sakura said honestly.

"That … and I'm sure you would enjoy being near Kiba a bit more" Shino remarked.

"Maybe" Sakura kept a straight face.

"I know he has feelings for you, we are best friends so its only natural he tell me things that best friends tell each other" Shino spoke.

Sakura raised her eyebrow slightly as she couldn't help the smile and the blush on her face.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto.<strong>

Naruto panted as he faced Zabuza who also seemed to be panting. Both covered in cuts and bruises, both smiling sadistically at one another. Naruto rolled his shoulder slightly, the wound was starting to reduce his arms movement and even if he had the Kyuubi healing it, the fox wasn't going to close it right up straight away, it would heal him, but not without Naruto suffering the wounds pain first. It was the Demons petty attempt at revenge and the best it could do considering the seal was more than just a bit restricting.

"I bet that stings a bit eh brat?" Zabuza laughed out evilly.

"Nothing I cant handle, thank you so much for your concern though" Naruto replied sarcastically, acting as if he were happy Zabuza asked.

"I have to admit though" Zabuza panted "If I had ten swordsmen like you, id have taken Kiri in a day" Zabuza spoke, emotionless.

"You don't deserve to have such loyalty from your follower … the masked girl" Naruto spat.

"Haku … is a tool, nothing more nothing less. She is faithfully obedient, unlike that other bitch I control … the one who's fighting your team mate … the little bitch who give me this scar" Zabuza pointed to the diagonal scar on his chest.

"I hope they kill each other, though I doubt Hien will loose" Zabuza laughed as Naruto noticeably flinched, he'd forgotten to ask about Hinata, too engrossed in his own fight. Naruto let his eyes drift to the ground before bringing them back up to Zabuza who was grinning in victory.

Naruto flipped the Wakizashi in his right hand, now holding both in reverse grip as he glared at Zabuza before he dashed forward and leapt into the air, with less than a second he was upon Zabuza, raining viscous and lightning swift slashes at the Nuke-nin, Naruto then sent a burst of Chakra to his wrists, releasing his wrist blades and using them in conjunction with his Wakizashi to double his attacks. Soon Zabuza was being slashed and stabbed repeatedly by Naruto's relentless attacks.

Naruto then spun around behind Zabuza as his cleaver soared past, missing him by millimetres before slashing just above his elbows, severing the muscles in his upper arms, rendering them useless before Naruto quickly leg swept Zabuza's legs from beneath him, bringing the man crashing to the ground. Zabuza looked skyward in pain as Naruto appeared above him, one of his wrist blade pinning him to the concrete through his left shoulder whilst the tip of the other hovered millimetres from his face.

Zabuza looked past the tip of the blade to find Naruto had a serene calm look on his face, as if he had simply just swatted a fly. In that moment, Zabuza knew he had lost this battle and would probably soon loose his life, he was exhausted, nearly out of Chakra and his arms wear now useless.

"Finnish me" Zabuza spat at the blonde.

Naruto simply stared at the man who seemed to be growing more and more pissed off by the second.

"See, you may have skill but your still just playing shinobi! … If you cant mercilessly kill then you will never be shinobi!" Naruto simply stared at the man before pressing his blade to his throat.

"I don't believe that … the moment I start to mercilessly kill people who are defenceless is the day I loose my humanity and my self respect … that would be the end of me, would you like to know how I beat you?" Naruto spoke calmly before he got off of Zabuza and pulled his blade from his shoulder.

"I beat you because you threatened someone special to me … when you fight to protect something or someone you care for, you give it your all, even at the cost of your life … something that masked girl knows all too well, she isn't strong because she's been trained by you … she's strong because she loves you like a daughter would a father, regardless of your treatment toward her, she's strong because she has someone to protect, you" Naruto paused as he stared down at the bleeding man in front of him.

"I understand how she feels … to protect someone who doesn't appreciate it or even care for you, it hurts … but we protect the people we love, regardless of what they think of us, even if they abuse us, hate us, hurt us" Naruto paused as tears started to roll down his own cheeks.

"The pain of being alone … and unwanted hurts more than being hurt by the ones we love" Naruto said quietly with a small sad smile before he glared at Zabuza.

"you're strong … but that strength is useless without someone to share that strength with, to protect them!" Naruto spoke with determination.

"Kid … you can stop now … I get it" came Zabuza's cracked and broken voice from the concrete as he slowly managed to sit upright trying to hide his own tears. How could he have been so heartless to the only person who had ever shown him any sort of affection of kindness, instead he had forced her to break her gentle heart and kill in his name.

"Naruto ..." came Kakashi's voice as he came up behind the blonde, pulling his forehead protector down.

"Oh how touching …" came a voice from the end of the bridge.

The group looked to find a short man wearing a buisness suite with greasy grey hair, sunglasses and a cane, his right arm in a heavy cast. Behind him stood a small army of bandits and rouges, all brandishing their weapons.

"Gatou" Zabuza spat the name out.

"Well well Zabuza, we find our selves in quite a situation here … you failed to kill the bridge builder, but it matter's little now … that's what these fine gentlemen with me are for … to kill the bridge builder and you and that little whore who broke my arm" Gatou spoke with a smirk.

Zabuza glared at the midget buisness man.

"Oh come now Zabuza, don't look at me like that, did you honestly, truly believe id pay you to kill somebody … you were merely an investment, you were to kill the bridge builder, and when you came for your pay I'd have my men slaughter you for the bounty on your head, you see … I have a code when it comes to buisness, always walk away with more than what you came with" Gatou laughed.

Zabuza slowly climbed to his feet and walked past Naruto and Kakashi to face Gatou.

"Kakashi, my fight is not with you any more" Zabuza said, to which Kakashi only nodded, Zabuza looked to Naruto.

"Kid … I want you take care of Haku for me, she deserves a stable and good life, I cant give her that. Tell her that our storm is over … she will understand" Zabuza said quietly as he stared at Gatou's smug grinning face. He took a moment to think before he looked at Naruto as he chewed at the bandages around his mouth.

"Kid, lend me your Kunai"

Naruto hung his head and slowly tossed Zabuza one of his Kunai. Zabuza caught the blade between his jagged, shark-like teeth, a massive and bloodthirsty grin upon his face. He stared directly at Gatou who went stiff before his eyes widened.

"KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!" Gatou ordered and as one his army of thugs ran forward, swinging weapon all over the place. Zabuza scoffed and shot forward, cutting a swath of blood and gore through their ranks, stabbing, slashing throats, crushing skulls under his feet all the way through to Gatou.

Zabuza staggered in front of Gatou slightly, his injuries taking their toll, swords and spears protruding from his back, yet still he stood, defying death as he sent Gatou a sickening twisted smile as he raced forward once more, impaling the small man's throat on the kunai in his mouth.

"I cant wait for us to get to hell Gatou-chan … ill get to play with you for all eternity … then we will see how much of a demon I really am!" Zabuza growled out with sadistic glee before ripping the kunai from Gatou's throat, spinning and slashing his throat wide open. Zabuza kicked Zabuza off the bridge and into the sea below.

Panting for air, he turned to the thugs, making them jump in fear before he dropped the Kunai from his mouth and staggered forward a few steps before collapsing to the ground completely.

Naruto bowed his head in respect for the man as did Kakashi and Tazuna.

"Hey … that bastard just killed our meal ticket! … now we're going to have to raid the village, we ain't going home empty handed" Came the voice of one of the Bandits as a chorus of cheers and agreements sounded.

Naruto and Kakashi stepped forward "Taiju Kage bunshin no jutsu!" both called, creating about a hundred clones.

"Sick'em" Naruto ordered, every clone on the bridge rushed the bandits who quickly started to flee back onto the boats they came on whilst the real Naruto and Kakashi landed Next to Zabuza.

"Is Haku safe?" Zabuza asked quietly.

"Yeah … I hope she didnt kill Kiba and to a lesser extent, Sasuke" Naruto joked weakly.

"Don't worry about that … she wouldn't kill them … she … has a big heart" Zabuza replied weakly before he managed to look at Naruto.

"Promise … promise me you'll take care of her … and Hien ..." Zabuza pleaded.

"On my blades, I swear it … I will look after her … and Hien" Naruto nodded to the man as he slowly slipped away with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>Ima end this chapter here. this wasn't going to be written for at least a few more days but with the response i got from the last chapter, i couldn't help but start straight away and update as soon as i could.<strong>

**As always, I hope you,ve enjoyed the story so far and would love to hear what you think of it.**

**Also, i'd like to say thank you for such amazing feedback from the last chapter, you all had me grinning like and idiot all day. **


	13. Battles end

**battles end.**

**Konohagakure**

The Hokage, sat in his office, was staring out over several of his villages top Jounin and ANBU, these men and women were at the forefront of the villages defence and among its best shinobi, each a legend of the leaf in their own right. Sarutobi smiled as the last two Jounin entered the room for the meeting to begin.

"Glad you could join us Asuma, Kurenai … now I have a diplomatic problem that needs to be handled carefully over the next few days, im not sure when it will happen, but it will and your actions will be preventing a Konoha civil war" Sarutobi paused to let the news sink in as all around the room several Jounin murmured and questioned one another.

"If you want no part of this mission, leave this room … and your Hitai-ate on my desk as you'd not be needing them" Said Sarutobi, waiting a few moments, he sighed in relief when no one left and everyone seemed to step forward.

"Good … then the following conversation is an S-ranked secret and is not to be repeated … earlier this week the Hyuga clan cast a vote to brand their heiress with the caged bird seal … the vote was a tie and per their clan laws, it becomes a clan wide vote … Hiashi believes that the main branch councillors against Hinata will exploit the caged bird seal to force their vote to pass" Sarutobi explained.

"They cant do this! that's my student!" Came Anko's voice as she walked through the crowd of Jounin and slammed her hands down on Sarutobi's desk "Tell me your not letting this happen!"

"I cannot stop them from doing what the law says they are within their rights to do, to brand the Hyuga heiress … but she is no longer the Heiress, nor is she a Hyuga, Hiashi himself has emancipated Hinata from the clan, in hopes to save her from the seal" Sarutobi paused "Hinata is a ward of the Hokage … and the Hyuga elders are going to try to brand Hinata the moment she sets foot into the village, its going to be a case of getting to her before they do, as I can only present the emancipation papers to them once Hinata herself has seen them"

"And if they manage to seal her beforehand or after we have presented the legal documents?" Asked Kurenai worriedly.

Sarutobi paused for a moment, he stood from his desk and turned his back to his shinobi to look out of the window.

"I have a detailed list of every Hyuga … out of the one hundred and sixteen members … at least thirty five of them are to be executed, immediately and with extreme prejudice … Hiashi Himself has arranged for all of these members to be in one place at the same time, most of you will be tasked with their assassination, whilst the rest will be on guard duty" Sarutobi sighed warily as he turned back around.

"Anko, I need your summons to deliver this scroll to Naruto, he'll be the one to tell Hinata before she enters the village" Sarutobi spoke, handing Anko a small, thin scroll.

Anko took the scroll in hand and looked at it before pocketing it.

"Hokage-sama, I know for certain that the Hyuga are employing the use of the seal to force the branch families votes" Gai stepped forward seriously "Neji has been showing signs of mental fatigue and has been suffering headaches for the past week"

Sarutobi nodded, but it was Anko who spoke "It isn't us that need to worry about the Hyuga … the Hyuga should be wary of Hinata's team-mate … Naruto is extremely protective of her, even going as far as to take a direct hit for her, if he finds her harmed in any way, we could end up dealing with another clan massacre, and I for one wouldn't get in his way" Anko said as she left the office quickly, her mood of anger rolling off of her in waves.

"Wow … never thought that crazy bitch cared for anyone" spoke one of the Jounin at the back of the room.

Kurenai turned to the man who had spoken with a glare.

"That crazy bitch happens to be my best friend … and for your information, she cares a lot for people, more so than you think. She has done a fine job by her three Genin and I'll be damned if I let you bad mouth her for what you think you know about her, deception is a shinobi's greatest tool … and in future if you have any comments, keep your tongue behind your teeth" She snapped viciously.

"That team is a team of fuck ups and you know it, she even has that _thing_ on her team" the Jounin scoffed at Kurenai.

"Would you like to repeat that sentence Jounin?" Came a cold and dark voice. All looked to the Hokage who was cleaning over his desk. The ANBU in the room took action, surrounding the Jounin instantly. With one command, the man would die, they would do this for their Hokage, but more so for the blonde who kept their jobs exciting and their rookie members in top notch with his pranks.

"You call yourself Jounin … you disgust me … get out of my sight" Sarutobi said, dismissing the man, who bowed deeply and left the room.

"Now … then let us discuss who will be where when this shit storm starts" Sarutobi spoke.

* * *

><p><strong>Wave country, The Bridge.<strong>

Kiba watched as Sasuke hit the ground, clutching at his eye after being yet again slugged by the fake hunter nin who seemed to be going for his eyes every single time. Kiba slowly stood up and charged at Haku, only for the girl to retreat back to her mirror.

"I'm not as stupid as I look! Akamaru! Do it!" Kiba called out.

Haku heard a dog yap from behind her and looked to see a swirling tornado of claws headed straight for her mirrors, she looked back quickly to find the Inuzuka boy was headed directly for her in the same way, they had trapped her, she couldn't jump to the next mirror without taking a direct hit from both sides. Both attacks hit both sides of her mirror, shattering it and propelling her back out of the dome until she came skidding to a stop.

Slowly getting to her feet, she stumbled slightly as her mask fractured and slowly fell away from her face, she fell to her knees, unable to fight any longer, her Chakra was depleted, her strength spent and her body burnt with pain from that last attack. She fell forward to one hand and clutched her blood soaked waist. She looked up to see the boy who attacked her stumbling toward her, clutching a kunai in his hand.

Haku winced as she pulled herself upright and stared at Kiba "I under estimated you … and you beat me, I am … happy to not have to kill you" Haku let out a sad true smile at Kiba.

Kiba stopped in his tracks toward the girl, he stared at her before dropping his Kunai and dropping to his own knee's.

"It's dishonourable to kill a defeated and injured enemy …" Kiba said as he shook his head at the girl.

"I'm a broken tool to Zabuza-sama, I have failed him … please just kill me" Haku pleaded as she one again fell forward to her hands, her head down to the floor.

Kiba looked horrified until Naruto and Kakashi landed next to them.

"Its over … Haku … I'm sorry, Zabuza's dead …. he told me to tell you 'our storm is over'" Naruto spoke softly as he walked up to the girl who slowly sat up to look at the blonde.

"I … I see …Zabuza-sama is ..." she mumbled to herself quietly before she shakily got to her feet and nearly fell had it not been for Naruto, catching her and supporting her.

"Kiba where is Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Kiba was about to speak when Haku interrupted weakly, clutching at her waist.

"She was fighting Hien, my auntie … they should be just a few meters through the mist that way … I incapacitated the girl during their fight … or my aunties seal would have forced her to kill her … she believes the girl dead" She said before pointing past an unconscious Sasuke and into the mist beyond.

Naruto looked worried for a moment but gradually started to move in that direction, feeding Haku a blood pill as he noticed Sasuke's unconscious form, unmoving and still.

"Is he dead?" Asked Naruto hopefully as he nodded toward Sasuke.

"Had it not been for the other boy's actions in defeating my technique … he would be" Haku stated without shame or restraint.

Kakashi saw to Sasuke whilst Tazuna helped with Kiba.

Naruto sat Haku down near Kiba and ran into the thick swirling mist to find Hien and Hinata. He came through the mist and stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the women he guessed was Hien, cradled over Hinata. He took in a sharp breath, seeing his Hinata so cut up, so limp in the woman's arms … the two senbon needles protruding from the side of her neck. He took a step closer, constantly having to remind himself that his girlfriend wasn't dead, but it looked so real, it felt so real. He stepped closer, the woman turning quickly to look at him with angered eyes, a blade of ice forming in her hand, she threw it instinctively.

Naruto stood his ground, the blade slicing open his cheek as it shot past him.

"You must be Hien" Naruto stated as a matter of fact, looking at the woman with a slight glare, trying to read her for any malicious intentions. He stared at the woman, her red puffy eyes and tear streaked cheeks made him relax, if only slightly.

"You ...y-you're the boy" she stammered out.

"Zabuza is dead … Haku told me … about the seal" Naruto said as he strolled over and knelt down to Hinata, across from Hien.

He slowly took the girl from Hien's arms and removed the senbon from her neck, pushing his fingers to the holes in her neck gently to try and stop any small amount of bleeding. He kept his eyes fixated upon Hinata's face as he moved some of her hair from her face.

"We will take a look at your seal when Hinata-chan wakes up, I'm no master but I know how to read the formula for any Fuinjutsu, I might just be able to pull the seal apart" Naruto said quietly as he pulled Hinata into his arms bridal style and stood up, looking down at Hien who stared up at him wide-eyed.

"S-she's n-not dead?" she asked, her eyes pleading and a sliver of hope shone within them.

"No … Haku put her in a death-like state, she'll wake up soon, though she will be very weak for a few hours" Naruto reassured the women with a small smile. He frowned slightly when the woman broke down in to tears once more, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. It was then that Naruto caught sight of her eyes.

"You are a Hyuga … how? Why?" Naruto asked plainly.

"I'm … I'm Hinata's mother" Hien responded shakily. Naruto looked at her in slight shock before he schooled his features.

Naruto gave her a calculating stare "I can tell … you both stutter when your nervous and you both have the same unique lavender tinted eyes that I've not seen in any other Hyuga" Naruto smiled slightly. Naruto nodded in motion for her to follow him as he turned to start walking back to the rest of the group with Hinata.

Hien was puzzled, she had observed this boy with her daughter for an entire two days straight, she knew they were close, intimate even and yet, he seemed to care nothing for her condition. Hien frowned before she spun Naruto around.

"I watched you two … I know what you mean to her, yet you care nothing for her current injuries" Hien stated.

"Says the mother who knows nothing about her daughter, Hinata told me you died when she was four! … she's perfectly fine, our sensei has given her worse injuries during spars, besides … Hinata is my girlfriend, I'd gladly slaughter entire nations to keep her safe and willingly die to see her happy in life! SO DON'T YOU DARE STAND THERE AND JUDGE ME! I WAS READY TO TEAR YOU APART, LIMB FROM LIMB WHEN I SAW THE STATE SHE WAS IN!" Naruto yelled at the older woman as he let his tears of frustration out and turned to walk away from her.

Hien hung her head in shame, the boy was right … she had no right to question the boy when she barely knew her own daughter.

"I'm s-sorry, y-you're right" Hien said quietly.

Naruto stopped and turned to look at Hien "Look … you and Hinata are going to need time to talk and reconnect … but I swear to you right now, if you are anything like her other family members, if you hurt her in any way, you'll die … her life was nearly as bad as mine growing up" Naruto paused as he read Hien for any emotions.

"Its only recently that Hinata has started to smile and laugh, before … her life was empty of any happiness, no friends, her family treated her like shit, they only leave her alone now because of who I am, and what I am capable of doing to the clan, they know that to upset either of my team mates is to upset me" Naruto smirked slightly and gave a quiet chuckle before looking at Hien in the eyes with a sad smile "I fear for anyone who truly upsets me, it has only ever happened the once … no one deserves what I did to him, but I'll gladly shoulder the guilt and self loathing and do it over and over if it keeps her safe" Naruto said before he turned and started walking again.

"What is your n-name boy?" Asked Hien as she followed him.

"Uzumaki Naruto … village pariah" Naruto stated.

Hien blinked, she may have been away from Konoha for nearly a decade … but she knew who this boy was, she couldn't help let a smile grace her lips. She found it funny that Hinata, the Hyuga heiress had fallen in love with Kushina's boy.

"You remind me a lot of the fourth Hokage" she said as she walked up next to him as they reached the rest of the group.

Kakashi looked over and nearly fainted "L-Lady Hien?" he asked in wonder.

"Kakashi? Is that you?" spoke Hien, shock evident on her face also.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Kakashi said, pointing at the woman.

"Clearly not!" Hien said with a smile.

"I'm so confused Auntie" Haku said quietly from her spot on the floor.

Hien looked at Haku and rushed over to check her wound "Haku! You're bleeding!"

"I'm fine, tell me what's going on" Haku asked again.

"Lady Hien is the matriarch of Konoha's Hyuga clan … but she, you" Kakashi said after Hien shot him a look.

"Supposedly died after giving birth to Hinata's younger sister, Hanabi" Kakashi finished.

"I was drugged, kidnapped and branded with a bastardised caged bird seal before being sold to the highest bidder, that bidder being Zabuza" Hien explained her story in short.

"Why didnt you get a message to Konoha?" Kiba asked.

"This seal of mine … I'm not sure how it works … I know how to read but my body is simply incapable of writing, I've tried hundreds of times with the same results each time, just a headache" Hien explained.

"A neurological disruption seal … its basic, if the formula for the seal is right, it can be used to stop the human body from doing multiple things … for example you can remove one of or all of the five senses, or in your case, specific actions" Naruto spoke thoughtfully.

"That's a very complex seal to apply … and from what I heard Haku say, your seal has a combat inhibitor seal, making you attack whatever your commanded to, yet another complex seal … I cant remove those, only master Jiraiya could do that" Kakashi explained.

"I can remove the neuro-disruptor, if it isn't integrated into the rest of the seal" Naruto said with a nod "I'm no master but I have an intermediate understanding of how most seals work"

"Guys we should head back, we need to get Haku and Hinata to Sakura … she's the only other medic next to Hinata" Kakashi ordered.

Kiba stood up while Hien helped Haku and Kakashi slung Sasuke's unconscious form over his shoulder before they all headed toward Tazuna's house as quickly as their battered bodies could carry them. It was then that they heard a crowd gathering at the end of the bridge, everyone looked to find all of the villages of Nami no Kuni standing there and chatting amongst themselves, at the front of the crowd was a small boy.

"Inari! What's going on here?" Questioned Tazuna.

"We came to fight Gatou!" Inari shouted with a smile of determination, the villagers cheering behind him. Sakura and Shino soon apeared either side of Inari.

"Inari insisted we come to help" Sakura smiled before her eyes set on the state of the group. She leapt forward to Naruto.

"Hinata! What happened to her?" Asked Sakura in panic.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine, she's just unconscious, the battle is over, we won and wave is rid of Gatou" Naruto explained. Naruto then turned to look at a pale Haku.

"Sakura, see what you can do about her wound, her name is Haku" Sakura simply nodded and rushed over to check on Haku whilst Naruto walked up to Inari and knelt down and gave the boy a stern look, making the boy shrink back slightly, Hinata still in the blonde's arms.

Naruto suddenly smiled "See … when you keep going, no matter how bad it gets … nothing can beat you … especially when you have something precious worth fighting for … your father knew that … and now, so do you … live up to his expectations of you Inari and you'll make him proud and you will become the man your father was" Naruto said quietly.

Inari cried slightly but nodded enthusiastically to Naruto's words.

* * *

><p><strong>Tazuna's house later that night.<strong>

Every body sat at the crowded dinner table, laughing and enjoying themselves, the only people not present were Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke, who after waking up refused to sit with the other's, claiming that he wouldn't sit and eat with his enemies. Instead of people trying to convince him like her expected them to, the others simply left Sasuke to himself and went to enjoy themselves.

Hinata had still not woken up and was currently outside in the tent with Naruto watching her. She had stirred slightly a few times but had instantly fallen back to sleep. Naruto watched her like a hawk, he knew that when she woke up she was going to be a torrent of emotions, especially when she would eventually speak to Hien.

He was already starting to worry that she might just snap under the stress of the situation, finding a supposedly dead mother alive and a cousin you never knew existed would shock most people.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes and followed her line of sight to find Naruto smiling warmly at her.

"You're awake, good" he laughed as he moved closer to her, helping her as she struggled to sit up. She lifted her hand to her neck and winced.

"Yeah, that might sting for a while ..." Naruto said as he handed her a glass of water.

After nearly dropping the glass, Naruto held it for her to drink from.

"Haku said you'd be weak for a couple of hours, possibly days after being put into a near death state" Naruto explained.

"H-Haku?" Hinata questioned.

"Oh … long story short, Zabuza and Gatou are dead and the fake hunter nin, Haku and the Hyuga woman will be coming back to Konoha" Naruto explained.

Hinata suddenly gasped "I-I need t-to speak to the Hyuga woman I fought" said Hinata roughly.

"Soon, gather some strength first, you're going to need it" Naruto explained.

Hinata reluctantly nodded as she lay back down and stared at Naruto.

"What's the matter?" He asked soothingly.

"I-I'm s-sorry I lost my battle …" She said quietly.

"Its not important Hinata-chan, the woman you fought is just as strong as sensei, if not stronger … you did amazing" Naruto said as he kissed her on her forehead "Besides, you're alive … that's what's most important" Naruto said, sitting beside her and taking her hand in his.

"Naruto-kun … c-could I h-have a hug?" she asked nervously.

Naruto stood up before sliding into Hinata's Futon with her and wrapping his arms around her. Hinata clung to him tightly.

"better?" he whispered quietly.

Hinata nodded and sighed in content, she needed this hug after such a close call today, it made her realise that life fragile and easily taken from you, today had scared her and she just needed some comfort.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside Tazuna's house.<strong>

"Hows your wound Haku?" asked Sakura from across the table, the girl looked up from her plate, not having made much conversation as she felt quite out of place.

"It hurts slightly, but this cream you put on it is very soothing, thank you" she said with a weak smile.

"It's Hinata's cream, she makes it herself, though she need to make a lot if she wants to keep up with Naruto and our sensei"

"Who is your sensei?" asked Hien.

"Mitarashi Anko" answered Sakura.

Kakashi chuckled as Hien shivered slightly as she spoke "Oh that cant be good for my little girl"

"They get on really well, Hinata and Anko that is … though Naruto has been taught by Anko for much longer, since he was about eight I think, im not too sure" Sakura explained "So she's allot closer to him than anyone"

"Anko loves all three of them but lately in the Jounin lounge she wont shut up about Hinata being the next Anko" Kakashi said with a smile, to which Hien simply shivered again.

"How is my husband? And Hanabi?" she asked Kakashi.

"Hiashi-sama … is a troubled man, he's very hard on Hinata … she is considered a failure in the eyes of the clan" Kakashi paused "Hanabi is strong for her age, and arrogant because of it" Kakashi said quietly over the table, for once in his life and to tsunami's relief, his smut novel was out of sight.

Hien nodded in disappointment and looked out of the window toward the tent outside … she's soon have to speak with Hinata …. would she be happy, sad, angry, she couldn't tell. She did know that it was going to be a very emotional event.

* * *

><p><strong>AND IM DONE WITH THIS CHAPTER! … I know what you are all thinking, why didnt I make Naruto go psycho? … well I want to save that for later. I don't need to explain myself :O<strong>

**aannnnyways I hope you enjoyed the chapter and story so far, im loving the reviews, keep em coming and you'll keep getting chapters. The next chapter is going to have quite a bit of dialogue, youve been warned.**


	14. A Shaky Reunion

A Shaky Reunion.

It felt like an hour since they had sat there, but in truth it had been little more than thirty seconds and the silence was starting to get awkward. Both Hinata and Hien were sat across from one another, Hien wore a small smile on her face as she stared at Hinata. Hinata on the other hand was curious and truthfully a little uncomfortable by the woman's smile. She had asked to speak to Hinata outside on the porch, to give them a little privacy and so others wouldn't be unintentionally listening in.

"W-Well … I guess I'll start" said Hien shakily, she took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Hinata … this is probably going to sound … fucked up to say the least" Hien started.

Hinata simply raised an eyebrow at the woman's choice of language before sighing slightly. Hien stopped and smiled slightly, now she felt awkward.

"Why are you out here?" Asked Hinata, breaking the awkward silence.

"I was betrayed by one of the clan elders … because I have a duel bloodline, unlike most Hyuga … my grandmother was from a clan in water country with the Hyouton bloodline ability … my mother never was able to utilise the ice wielding abilities … but I did, for that I was already seen as a disgrace by the clan, the elders claimed my blood was tainted by filth. Only one person stood up for me, your father" Hearing this, Hinata snorted but kept quiet otherwise to let the woman continue "… he was my only friend within the clan and eventually … I married him and had you ..." Hien spoke slowly as she watched Hinata's expression change from sour to blank shock, before rage.

Hinata stood and glared at Hien "You dare claim to be my mother! My mother is dead! How dare you-"

"Hyuga Hinata! Sit down right now!" Hien commanded, shocking the heiress back down to her seat.

"Your name is Hinata Hyuga, your favourite flowers are lavenders and lilacs, your favourite food is cinnamon buns, you have a younger sister called Hanabi …" Hien stated.

"That information can easily be obtained! I don't believe you!" Hinata shouted and got up to leave before Hien's voice stopped her.

"You keep a diary hidden in the floorboards of your room …. and you keep the necklace I gave you for your third birthday around your neck at all times, in it there is an image of the two of us in our flower garden, you're wearing a white kimono and I'm wearing a blue one"

Hinata's hand instinctively rubbed her flack jacket where the necklace did indeed always reside around her neck. She turned slowly to look at the woman who looked straight back at her.

Hinata felt her heart shatter as looked at the woman before her, tears were starting to sting her eyes, threatening to fall.

"You don't need to hide your tears from me … you never have" Hien said softly with a small smile as her own tears rolled down her face.

"Y-You used to s-say that when … whenever I was scolded f-for not acting l-like a Hyuga … by t-the clan" Hinata said softly. She stared at Hien, all this time her mother had been alive … and furthermore, it was her own family that had done this, someone had betrayed her, betrayed them all.

All at once Hinata felt so many emotions rush through her … hatred, betrayal, hurt and pain yet at the same time she felt relief, happiness and love. She looked at Hien as she finally let the tears free to slide down her cheeks.

"I d-don't know what to f-feel" she said quietly to herself as she looked down and back up to Hien.

Hien stood and Hinata took a step back.

"I … I need t-to be alone" Hinata said before she ran from Hien.

Hien stood there and watched Hinata go worriedly as she hugged her arms close to herself. A moment of silence passed before she felt someone land next to her. She turned slightly to find Naruto giving her a blank stare before he smiled slightly.

"Don't worry, she'll be back once she's sorted her thoughts out … this is a big shock for her, to find you alive and what's more her own family betrayed her" Naruto said quietly.

Hien smiled at the boy before she sat back down on the porch of the house, Naruto sat down with her.

"She doesn't blame you …" Naruto said quietly.

"I hope not, I've waited for this day for nearly a decade"

"In truth … I envy her so much, her and Sakura … they both have families … I don't even know my parents names, or if they loved me or even if they wanted me" Naruto sighed slightly.

Hien glanced at the boy with sympathy before she spoke.

"I knew your parents, I knew them well … and they most certainly did want you and love you and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise" Hien spoke quietly.

"Who were they?" asked Naruto, almost desperately.

"I cant tell you that … you'll find out eventually … you just need to be patient … and by the way, if you know what's good for you, you wont allow my husband to know you're dating his eldest daughter without his permission, I remember him going into distinct, specific and vivid details of what would happen to anyone who would try to defile his little girl without him knowing" Hien said with a small smirk, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Naruto paled slightly but otherwise ignored the warning. There attention was quickly brought to a small puff of smoke in front of them.

Naruto sighed when it appeared to be a snake, its belly swollen to almost bursting. The serpent slithered slowly toward Naruto, its tongue flickering toward the blonde.

"I hate it when she does this" Naruto muttered to himself as he took a kunai from his utility pouch and picked the snake up in one hand.

Hien watched curiously before turning away from the scene as Naruto gutted the snake right there without hesitation, retrieving a slightly damp blood soaked scroll. Naruto discarded the snake before looking at the wax seal of the Hokage on the scroll.

"That was disgusting! Did you have to do that in front of me? I HATE snakes!" Hien spoke, shooting a small glare at Naruto.

"It's from the Hokage … this cant be good news" Naruto said as he tore the seal off and opened the scroll, gaining Hien's attention.

Naruto read the contents of the scroll, his face becoming more and more serious as he read on. He finished reading and rolled the scroll back up.

"What is it?" asked Hien.

"The main house Hyuga elders are going to try and give Hinata the seal when we get back, Hiashi has emancipated Hinata from the clan in an attempt to save her from the seal, unfortunately … the document has to be shown to Hinata before it is finalised, she's still a Hyuga and can still be sealed before the document is presented … clan laws and all that shizz" Naruto spoke, his voice serious and angry.

"What are we going to do about it, im powerless to help, the Hyuga councillor who sealed me would kill me on sight!" Hien spoke as she started to panic.

"Don't worry … I wont allow that, when we reach Konoha, ill be escorting you both to a safe house until the situation is sorted out properly. And if by some chance that seal ends up on Hinata-chan's forehead?" Naruto asked the question Hien herself wanted an answer too.

"Then I will bring the Hyuga main house to the brink of extinction …and no one will stop me, not ANBU not even the Hokage" Naruto stated as a matter of fact.

Hien stared at the boy, wide eyed "You'd do it … you'd really kill them all?" asked Hien, her eyes wider with realization of just how far this boy would go to protect her daughter.

"To keep Hinata-chan safe, id kill myself happily for that, we've had this conversation before, remember?" Naruto smirked slightly at Hien.

* * *

><p><strong>Sakura.<strong>

Sakura spun on her heel and attempted to sweep Kakashi's legs from beneath him, but Kakashi hopped back before leaping at her once more, his fist cocked back. He threw his fist full force at Sakura, only to have the pinkette deflect the punch away from herself before she attempted to sweep her elbow into his face, missing, she followed up, spinning her body and bringing her other fist straight for Kakashi's face, missing again, she now brought her knee up as she jumped, only for Kakashi to grab her ankle and launch her toward a tree.

Sakura landed on the tree foot first, using Chakra to grip, she smirked before he jumped off, high into the air before she front flipped and brought her leg crashing down on Kakashi with enough for to smash his skull, Kakashi leapt back as Sakura impacted with the ground, cracking the hard dirt beneath her leg.

Kakashi stood up straight and clapped " well I am very impressed, Anko's taught you very well, you even made me put my book away … as promised in our wager … both Kiba and Shino are allowed to train with your team … when they aren't on missions or training with the rest of team seven" Kakashi smiled as he whipped out his porn once more.

"Now ... I'm going to go and get lost on the road of life, bye" said Kakashi before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Sakura smiled and looked over to Kiba and Shino, Shino still being Shino and Kiba looking a little scared and excited at the same time.

"Wow!" Kiba said dumbly.

"You thought that was good? You should see Hinata fight, she's downright evil and she doesn't play nice either" Sakura panted with a smile.

Kiba shivered slightly but laughed anyway "well, truthfully im excited I'll learn to move like that and I never thought of using my elbows in a fight before"

"Kami help you if you fight Anko-sensei … she head-butts, elbows, knee's, strangulates … she's horrible to fight one on one" Sakura smirked as Kiba looked slightly scared.

"I will benefit greatly from this training … as an Aburame, we tend to forsake close combat for ranged, but after seeing how Hinata used my Kikai bugs to blind her opponent, I can now see that using bugs in close combat can be beneficial as well, perhaps I shall create the first Aburame Taijutsu style" spoke the bug user, adjusting his sun glasses.

* * *

><p><strong>Sasuke.<strong>

Sasuke sat in the boys room in Tazuna's house, his back against the wall as he glared at the floor. He had been deep in thought for a while now.

'_I'm an Uchiha, wielder of the most powerful dojutsu in the world, I'm an elite … these cockroaches couldn't possibly imagine the weight of being the last Uchiha, I'm practically a god amongst them … their blasphemies will cost them, all of them … just wait and see, when we get back to Konoha, ill have the Uzumaki bastard whipped for his offences against me, until he begs at my feet for mercy. How dare he spill my blood, blood more precious than the entire Konoha village … my blood, Uchiha blood … divine blood … yes! I am a divine being by divine birthright … none of them can take that from me! I am still the strongest, I have the most hatred"_ Sasuke thought to himself as his emotions became darker with every second.

_'Yet … he beat me with such ease … I must unlock the Sharingan soon, then and only then will I be strong enough to kill Itachi, and then I'll kill all who oppose the Uchiha's rebirth into this world as the dominant species! No other bloodline or technique is a match for the might of the Sharingan'_ Sasuke smirked slightly, reassuring himself of his dominance.

'I will use Uzumaki to test myself … once I kill him, I will be one step closer to killing Itachi'

* * *

><p><strong>Haku.<strong>

"Do you think Auntie Hien and cousin Hinata will be okay?" asked Haku as she turned to look at Naruto as they walked through the forest, looking for Hinata as she had now been gone a little over two hours.

"Hinata loves her her mother more than anything … she's just trying to deal with this whole situation, I should imagine its not easy" Naruto answered.

"It's not easy … when Hien came to us, I was shocked to see someone with the same bloodline as myself … I was angry, confused, happy and relieved all at the same time" Haku said quietly.

"Haku, I've been wondering for a while now … 'our storm is over' … what does it mean?" asked Naruto.

"I was never a slave to Zabuza-sama … I was always free to leave if I wanted to, but how can you walk away from the one person who shows you kindness? Especially when no one else will have anything to do with you, It wouldn't be right, so I stayed and I made his goals my goals, his dreams became mine … 'our storm is over'" Haku explained, pausing at the end to look at Naruto as he looked at her.

"His final order … for me to live happily and have a good life, to go where I want, to do what I want with my life, he knew he would loose his life before his dreams became a reality and I half expected to join him in death" Haku explained, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I kind of understand you a bit more now, my sensei was the only person to acknowledge my existence except for the Hokage and a ramen stand owner with his daughter" Naruto said with a small smile "Now I have the Hokage, the ramen stand owners, Anko-sensei, Hinata-chan, Sakura, Hayate-sensei, Shino, Kiba, Kakashi sensei … I think, and you"

"Me?" asked Haku curiously.

"Yes … you saved Hinata from being kill by Hien's seal … in a fairly screwed up way, but you still saved her, so I know you're a kind person and I know you must feel more alone than ever right now … but you still have a family and your Hinata-chan's cousin, her best cousin, you showed more kindness toward her with your needles than her other cousin, Neji, ever has"

"That's really sad, to hear that a family is so brutal toward one another" Haku stated.

"I both envy and Pity the Hyuga clan … that's why, I decided I wanted to become Hokage … so I can end all the needless hatred in my village and the Hyuga clan would just be the beginning" Naruto stated as he scratched the back of his head.

"Hokage? Is that like the Mizukage?" Asked Haku sceptically.

"I guess so, in a way" Naruto admitted "Both are leaders of their villages"

"Why would you want to be like the Mizukage, he tried to have all of us with bloodlines wiped out!" Haku asked accusingly.

"The Hokage position would never be given to someone like that, trust me Haku, the leaf village loves bloodlines, the spoiled brat Uchiha is living proof of that" Naruto smiled.

Haku bowed her head "My apologies Naruto-san … I assumed all Kage's were the same, I've not been taught or told differently"

"It's okay … you weren't born into a ninja lifestyle like most shinobi are" Naruto smiled as he spotted Hinata sat on a log a few meters away.

"Wait here" Naruto spoke quietly, to which Haku nodded once. Naruto walked forward toward Hinata slowly.

Naruto sat down next to Hinata slowly and put an arm around her waist, kissing the top of her head as she leaned into him. He stayed quiet and just rubbed her back for a short while before speaking softly to her.

"You okay?"

"Yes … I'm j-just a bit … I d-don't know, how am I s-supposed to f-feel? Happy or angry?" she asked quietly.

"I think … you should be happy, and grateful to have a second chance with your mother, a lot of us don't get that chance" Naruto spoke quietly.

"You're right … but-" Hinata stared but Naruto cut her off.

"No buts Hinata-chan … just accept what's happened and move on with it … I felt the similar when I found out I was jinchuuriki, it gets easier" Naruto smiled before kissing Hinata's cheek and standing up.

"Now come on, you've still to meet your cousin properly" Naruto smirked.

"Cousin?" asked Hinata curiously.

"Haku" Naruto called, inviting the brunet over.

Haku slowly walked up to Hinata and Naruto with a weak smile. Naruto motioned her to come over again until all three were stood closely together. Both girl looked each other over.

"My name is Momochi Haku …" Haku greeted first.

"Hyuga Hinata …"

the atmosphere was awkward for a few short seconds before something caught Haku's eye and she knelt down to stare at a flower. Hinata watched the girl curiously until she too caught sight of the flower and she too knelt down to stare at it.

Naruto looked down and noticed the flower "ugh … what's going on?"

"Naruto-kun … the flower is extremely rare, its healing properties are legendary!" Hinata said quietly, as if the flower itself would wilt if she spoke too loud.

"This little plant is worth around fifty million Ryo to the right buyer, even more if they are desperate" Haku said quietly before she continued "But as Hinata-san just said, its healing properties are unique and very, very much desired … wars have been fought for this plant"

"Really? … if they are so rare then .. why are there like … seven in this clearing?" asked Naruto as he looked around as did the two girls, wide eyed.

Naruto sighed and made a single hand seal "Kagebunshin no jutsu" he turned to clone as he appeared "You know what to do"

The clone nodded and dashed off back towards Tazuna's house.

"What's the clone for Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked as she looked back to the flower, checking the leaves gently.

"I left my sealing supplies back at the tent, with such a rare opportunity to gather so many of these flowers, I wouldn't want them to wilt a few days after being picked, so were going to get them potted and sealed, the clone will bring back the necessary supplies for us, in the mean time Hinata, you should scan the area for any more"

"Naruto-kun, if we can plant all of them, and get them all home undamaged, then we can farm and harvest them, there's enough of them here to start a small plantation" Hinata spoke excitedly, not once stuttering as she searched the area with her Byakugan.

"Auntie will be as shocked as us to see these Hinata-san" Haku commented.

"Haku … just call me Hinata … and you're right, I learned how to make healing salves from my mothers old diaries"

"She taught me also" Haku smiled.

Naruto just watched the two and smirked slightly _'at least the tension between them is almost gone'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Later<strong>

Naruto, Hinata and Haku were all walking back to the house, both Hinata and Haku were discussing various methods for growing and cultivating the flowers to produce more at a steady rate, Naruto on the other hand, listened, slightly interested but if he was being honest, flowers were not his thing.

He stared straight ahead and saw that Sasuke was sat on the porch of the house, Naruto took more interest when he noticed that Sasuke was polishing a large blade … a large blade that didnt belong to him at all. Naruto sighed, when would the Uchiha learn not to take what didnt belong to him.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a pressure from beside him, he was to late to stop Haku as she had already dashed forward and pinned Sasuke to the wall of the house by his throat, Kubikiri houcho, left forgotten on the floor. Naruto watched as Haku put more pressure around Sasuke's throat, the Uchiha grasping and scratching at her hand for release.

"You! You dare to touch Zabuza-sama's sword!" Haku growled, her voice laced with killing intent. She dropped him just as he was about to pass out, she glared down at him before she turned and picket up the sword carefully, she stared down at it before looking at Naruto and Hinata, who were both staring at her with slight shock.

Haku walked over to Naruto and held the sword out to him "If anybody is to wield it, let it be the one who defeated him … after all, it is tradition for the seven swordsman's weapons to be handed down to the one who can beat them in a fair blade fight like you did" Haku said quietly.

"Haku, I cant accept this-"

"Please! So long as you carry this, ill do what I can to help you make your dreams become reality, you've helped give me a family and if Konoha is what you say it is, then you've given me a home … I owe you" Said Haku before she pushed the blade into Naruto's hands.

Naruto looked at the blade before looking at Haku and nodded slowly and accepted the blade "Thank you Haku"

"The hilt unscrews, in it you will find a scroll with all of the information known about the blade and three various fighting styles you can learn for it" Haku said with a smile.

"I'll have to seal it for now, I have nothing in which to holster it, though I admit … I expected it to feel a lot heavier, and it feels like its almost pulsing my Chakra?" Naruto asked curiously as he looked from the sword to Haku.

"Good, I had hoped it would accept you as its next master … a few of the seven swordsman's weapons have special abilities, for example Samehada's hilt can stretch … it also feeds on Chakra and rather than cut, it shaves … Kubikiri houcho repairs itself with the blood of its victims and it continuously pulsates Chakra, making the wielder immune to all Genjutsu" Haku explained as she smiled slightly.

"Samehada … I've heard the name before" Sakura commented as she appeared with Kiba, Shino and Kakashi.

"The sword wielded by the monster of the mist, Hoshigaki Kisame, I've never come across the man myself, I do know that he has a near Bijuu level Chakra reserve and a water elemental affinity not seen since the Nidaime Hokage" Kakashi said, his eye not leaving his precious porn as he spoke.

"That's the one, big blue guy with nasty teeth and bad attitude" Sakura nodded as she remembered the bingo book entry.

"I met him once" Haku said quietly.

"And?" asked Sakura expectantly after a few moments of silence.

"Gobshite … complete and utter gobshite" Haku said as she shook her head slightly.

Everyone seemed to stare at her weirdly, she was usually so polite and well mannered. Naruto snorted with amusement before laughing slightly, followed by Sakura, Kiba and eventually Hinata. Kakashi simply smiled as he shook his head and Shino was just Shino.

* * *

><p><strong>The bridge.<strong>

The Konoha ninja, plus two, stood facing a massive crowd of wave country's villagers. It was now time for the Konoha party to leave for home. Tazuna stepped forward and smiled brightly at the ninja before him, he stretched his arms out wide and smiled.

"This … all of this would not have been possible without you Konoha Ninja, you came to aid us, knowing you could die! You gave it your all, and because of that we came out victorious over Gatou, you have given wave life … we thank you from the bottom of our hearts" Tazuna bowed as he finished.

The crowd followed suit and bowed to the shinobi saviours of wave country.

Naruto stepped forward and put a hand on Tazuna's shoulder "The Hokage once told me that a little kindness goes a long way, you don't need to thank us … would we have been any better than Gatou if we had not helped?" asked Naruto with a smile.

Tazuna laughed as he slapped Naruto on the shoulder "I hope you become Hokage one day kid, the world needs more people like you and your team"

"Haha! thanks Tazuna-san … anyway, were best getting off" Naruto laughed, just as Inari tugged at his pants.

"Do you have to leave?"

"Unfortunately, we do Inari, but remember what I told you …sitting around, crying and doing nothing doesn't solve the problem" Naruto smiled and ruffled the boys hair.

Hien and Kakashi stood next too one another as they watched Naruto and the others interact with everyone.

"Just like his father, unconditionally kind and helpful" Hien stated with a nod of approval.

"He has his mothers hot headed temper and skill with blades though … sensei would be proud of how he turned out, considering the alternative" Kakashi nodded as he spoke quietly.

The group said their final good byes and set off across the bridge toward Konoha, it would be a two day journey as they were in no rush to get back.

* * *

><p><strong>A short while later.<strong>

Hinata watched her mother talking to Kakashi from where she and her team walked behind the others with Haku. Hinata caught up to Hien and walked beside her. Hien looked to Hinata with mild surprise, she noticed Hinata seemed nervous and several times she thought she was going to speak. Hien smiled … she knew Hinata was having difficulty in trying too speak to her right now. She simple put her arm around Hinata's shoulder and pulled her slightly closer.

"In your own time Hinata" Hien smiled as Hinata gave a single nod.

"Maybe you can tell me about your blonde boyfriend ..."

Hinata's face instantly drained of blood as she dared not look at her mother for fear of her being displeased. Then all at once the blood rushed back to her head when she realised her mother had called Naruto her boyfriend. And as Hien laughed at Hinata's expression she failed to notice her daughter slump to the ground in blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER END! So, what did you all think, I personally felt I could have done a lot better, but reunions are hard to pull off XD meh im better at writing speeches of love and hatred I think. But whatever, if you enjoyed it you enjoyed it. <strong>

**Well at least I hope you all enjoyed it at least a bit :3 well, id like to know your thoughts. So drop me a review or you can even Pm me :D**

**This is the cuttlefish of doom and destruction, signing off! **

**I like cuttlefishes 3**


	15. Enemy At The Gates!

Enemy At The Gates!

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his office, reviewing his own plans for the Hyuga incident that was sure to kick off in the next few days. He had started an internal debate with himself shortly after starting this task over two hours ago.

'I hate waiting around for this to happen, it would be so much more simple to take down the threat with a pre-emptive strike on the Hyuga council … yet clan laws give them rights to do that which they plan to do … to breach those right would cause the other clans to become hostile due to breaching their rights to clan practices … they would see it as the Hokage treading where he should not … the last thing I need is a loss of trust from the other clans" Hiruzen though with a sour look on his face before he shifted some papers out of the way.

'The Chunin exams are coming within the next month too … Bingo!' Sarutobi bolted out of his chair immediately and called for the ANBU to gather all personnel involved in the Hyuga incident, except the Hyuga council of course.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen you devious old bastard … its times like this when I feel I earned the title 'Kami no shinobi'" the old Hokage laughed almost insanely at his brilliant new idea. First thing he would need would be two not so willing volunteers for his plan to work … but who to pick.

* * *

><p><strong>Team 7 and team Anko.<strong>

"Kakashi-san … there's something I've been meaning to ask, why would you let Naruto fight Zabuza-sama?" asked Haku from the back of the group where she walked with Naruto and Sakura.

"The best way to explain that would be that Zabuza and Naruto both share a skill with a blade that I myself do not poses, same as I don't have the Chakra control to use medical Ninjutsu like Sakura or Hinata may have. Zabuza wanted to fight Naruto to test his skills and Naruto has never before been in a battle with a swordsman of Zabuza's calibre and wished to test his own abilities" Kakashi started, gaining the entire groups attention.

"When certain Types of fighters come across one another they react in certain ways to the enemy, but when two fighters of the same type cross paths it becomes a whole different type of battle, its what seasoned fighters like myself call a berserker battle due to the fact it always ends in one or both sides dead, that includes any body who interferes with the fight, weather it be friend or foe … bottom line is, I couldn't stop Naruto fighting Zabuza even if I had wanted to and he would have been just as likely to attack me as he was Zabuza should I have intervened in their battle" Kakashi finished explaining.

Almost everyone in the group was now looking at Naruto strangley until he got annoyed and spoke.

"Its a sword thing!" he snapped before walking off toward the front of the group.

A moment of silence passed as Naruto walked off ahead of the group. Kakashi walked ahead and fell in next to Naruto as they walked. Kakashi looked behind himself briefly at the rest of the group before talking quietly.

"Are you okay? You seem tense" asked Kakashi in a very rare moment of concern.

"Hyuga clan's planning to brand Hinata with the caged bird seal … her father has legally filed paper's to emancipate her from the clan to try and stop this ... but those papers are only valid after Hinata has read them" Naruto said quietly.

Kakashi nodded as his one visible eyebrow furrowed In concentration "Were you given orders?"

Naruto nodded only once "I'm to create two clones to disguise as myself and Hinata to enter the village normally where 'she' will be handed off to a group of Jounin to guard her whilst the real me takes her to my place in the forest of death … the Hokage doesn't know that Lady Hien is alive … so ill take her to my place too and contact him from there … I'm scared Kakashi" Naruto admitted as a shiver ran up his back.

"Does Hinata know?" asked Kakashi, to which Naruto shook his head.

"I know I need to tell her … but how do I do it? I don't even know if I can keep them both safe … I don't know if I'm strong enough to-"

"Shut up" Kakashi interrupted sharply. Naruto bowed his head slightly.

"Two days ago you took on one an A-ranked missing ninja and you beat him … you're insanely strong for your age Naruto, don't doubt yourself" Kakashi said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder before he spoke again.

"Naruto … you can do this, this is what your life's training has been for … if you honestly believe you cant protect both lady Hien and Hinata through this ordeal … you will _never _be worthy of the Hokage title" Kakashi spoke seriously.

Naruto stiffened at Kakashi's words as they struck a chord within him, memories of the third Hokage flashed through his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

"Naruto, do you know what it means to be Hokage?" asked Sarutobi as they both stood on top of the fourths head, overlooking the village as the black night began to take over the light of day.

Naruto looked to the old man with a look of obviousness "To govern and run the village as the strongest of the villages ninja … the Hokage is responsible for seeing the village through the good and bad times … he is our leader"

Sarutobi smiled as he laughed quietly to himself.

"A very good answer Naruto-kun … but not quite" Sarutobi kept his eyes out over the village as he took a long drag from his pipe.

"To be Hokage is to be willing to give absolutely everything for the village, mind, body … even your very soul" Sarutobi said with a small smile.

"That is what made the Yondaime so revered in the village … he gave his soul to the Shinigami to seal the nine tails into you … he gave his very soul for this village Naruto … can you say you'd do the same?" Asked the Hokage rhetorically.

Naruto stared out over the village … a village that hated him and yet he couldn't bring himself to hate it back. He stared out as he felt a heat ignite into a roaring inferno, he clutched at his chest as the heat spread throughout his body. He smiled, he liked that sound of that, to protect everyone until his dying breath … perhaps then they would look past the demon to the human he was.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback End.<strong>

Naruto looked forward as he felt that same heat ignite within his chest as strong as ever, he looked at Kakashi and smiled with determination "I'll use everything I have to protect them both, ill give my mind, body and soul if I have to"

Kakashi's eye widened slightly at Naruto's proclamation as he remembered the very same words spoken to him by his sensei nearly fifteen years ago. Kakashi allowed himself to smile.

"I remember the Yondaime saying the same thing to me"

"I respect the Yondaime for his courage and sacrifice … I want to be like him …. but I still think he's a prick for using me the way he did" Naruto admitted.

"Ah, but if you truly knew him, like I did, if you honestly knew what he was like, you'd understand why he used you" Kakashi spoke quietly.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Not really …effort" Kakashi sighed lazily to which Naruto snorted an glared slightly. Though internally, Kakashi was laughing his ass off at the situation. He found it funny how Naruto had turned out like his father, despite the treatment he received when he was in the village which was becoming a more rarer sight.

Naruto hopped back and joined his team silently as they walked, none of them wanted to bother him so they carried on in comfortable silence. Naruto just seemed to stare ahead as he walked, as if deep in thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha.<strong>

Kurenai watched the gate with her temporary partner from a tall tree just inside the village gates, she looked to her temporary team mate and felt her stomach churn, a look of distaste adorning her face as she looked him over. His name was Igari Kanba and he was tall and thin, much thinner than most shinobi, he kept his long greasy brown hair tied back in a high ponytail and wore a standard Konoha Chunin uniform and flack jacket. He was particularly well known for boasting about his battle prowess with Ninjutsu, claiming to be as good as or even better than Konoha's legendary Hatake Kakashi, the man who had copied over a thousand jutsu. When people brought this fact up in conversation, Kanba would simply say that Kakashi didnt know how to use most of the jutsu he had copied affectively.

It was also well know that he fancied himself to be the Godaime Hokage in the future and had attempted and to a degree, succeeded in attaining some political popularity within the village, but he would need the backing of one or more of the clans of Konoha to successfully establish himself as a popular candidate for the next Hokage.

It was no secret that Kanba was excellent with Ninjutsu, he had abnormally large Chakra pools for a Chunin and he wasn't a stupid man either, he just lacked common sense. Most ninja kept their abilities secret, Kanba flaunted them for all to see, even going as far as to try and entertain the public with his skills to gain popularity.

It was these factors that made him unpopular with other Chunin and Jounin of the village, he was what they called a political ass licker, because he would do next to anything to gain any sort of popularity with the public or with councillors.

Kurenai watched as he seemed to mould his Chakra constantly and burn the tree with his fingertips out of boredom as he spoke.

"I still don't see why us elite Jounin are doing this … all to stop the Kyuubi Jinchuriki from going mental?" asked Kanba.

"Firstly you're not a Jounin-"

"Yet!"

Kurenai glared at his forceful interruption before continuing "Secondly … have you ever seen a Jinchuriki loose it? I saw it during the last war when I was just a Genin … I saw a Kumo nin turn into the beast itself and lay waste to an entire village with one sweep of its tail … that thing will haunt me for the rest of my life … that man new how to control the beast, Naruto doesn't … so can you imagine the magnitude of the shit we would be in if he were to suddenly loose it?" asked Kurenai.

Kanba simply shrugged, disinterested "I'm sure I'd be able to keep him under control with my Ninjutsu"

Kurenai snorted "Then you are an idiot … I've watched that boy train, seen him walk through some of the most lethal of jutsu as if it were nothing … our skills wouldn't touch him"

"Look, you're a woman, so ill give you the benefit of the doubt but trust me when I say this, I could kill the boy in seconds … if the situation called for it of course" Kanba smiled.

Kurenai sent a sharp glare at the man, but he failed to notice it as he spoke once more.

"What I can say is I would definitely 'destroy' Anko … if you get my drift" he said with a perverted smile.

Anko felt her stomach churn once more as bile raced up to her throat, she resisted the urge to vomit and then beat the shit out of this man. It was a well known fact that Kanba was good with Ninjutsu … but that was as far as his skill level went his Genjutsu was poor and his Taijutsu was almost non existent. The man preached about his strength, but he was never truly strong, he favoured ambush tactics from long range with destructive jutsu, that was his forte.

Kurenai quickly went back to watching the gate and ignoring the vile, pathetic human being sat with her.

* * *

><p><strong>Kirigakure<strong>

"Zabuza's dead? Well it happened quicker than I had anticipated … I may be the Mizukage, but I still wanted to tear the man's throat out myself … everything ends eventually, even the great Zabuza" spoke a young looking blonde boy to a group of mist ANBU.

The boy was about five foot in height, give or take a few inches, he wore the standard kage robes, trimmed in green-blue. He had pinkish red eyes with a scar beneath his left eye. He carried a strange dark wooden glaive on his back, held by a shoulder strap.

"Mizukage-sama, the word in wave is that it was a Genin from Konoha who beat Zabuza in battle" spoke one of the ANBU.

"A Genin? Next you'll be telling he was wearing a neon orange jumpsuit!" Spoke the Mizukage.

"Not quite, Mizukage-sama … his name is Uzumaki Naruto … he bested Zabuza in single combat, that's what I was told in wave country" Spoke the same ANBU.

"Hmm … I have the appearance of a ten year old boy … a side effect of myself being an abomination … Konoha is hosting the Chunin selection exams within a months time … ill be going disguised as a Genin candidate … I want you to go and find my sister and bring her here … bring Isami too" Spoke the Mizukage as he looked out of his office window at the hidden mist village, not that he could see very far through the mist.

"Mizukage-sama … no disrespect but, is there a need to put yourself in such a harmful situation?" asked one of the ANBU in concern.

"Are you my mother?" asked the blonde with a glare.

"N-no sir!"

"Smart answer … but if you ever speak to me out of term again ill have your tongue removed" spoke the Mizukage coldly.

"I am Mizukage because I am the strongest … that is all, I have no time for your worries or concerns, but everything ends eventually … Kami-sama punishes all"

* * *

><p><strong>The Konoha Group.<strong>

As the group walked, Naruto had become more and more withdrawn over the past few hours. it had started to concern his team mates, Haku and Hien but Hinata and Sakura assured the others he would be fine unless left alone. he would talk about it if he wanted to talk about it.

several more minutes past as Naruto concentrated deeper into his subconscious.

* * *

><p><strong>Mind-scape.<strong>

Naruto stared up at the Kyuubi through its prison bars, this staring contest had been going on for a few hours now, with neither moving or talking … Naruto would often come here and just stare at the beast and it stared right back, unblinking, unmoving. He could barely tell it was breathing.

Naruto then spoke for the first time since he ever came within his mind to see the beast.

"So … You're the Kyuubi"

"**Meat stick"** the beast growled out with a slight nod of acknowledgement.

Naruto sighed slightly, looking up at the beast.

The Kyuubi mimicked his container and sighed, sending a violent plume of steam from its nose around Naruto.

"Your less violent than I expected" Naruto commented.

"**I am thousands of years old … are you and your kind honestly so narrow minded as to think that a being of my stature would simply destroy everything it comes across?"** The giant fox questioned.

"I had wondered why a tailed beast would attack Konoha so suddenly and without provocation"

"**Hmph … tailed beast … you humans are all the same! Using us as tools of destruction … your kind have bastardised our purpose in this world!"** the Kyuubi glared at the blonde, sitting up much like a dog as his huge ears stood upright on his head.

"Meaning?" asked Naruto.

"**Your an inquisitive little runt aren't you" **the fox remarked before speaking again.

"**This is not the first time I have been sealed into a human … this would be my twentieth time now … whilst I must say the last two were more pleasant about how they did it, I've only ever been used to destroy and kill … and because of that I am tainted, you've felt my hatred in my Chakra"** spoke the fox.

"So how you've been treated has inadvertently turned you into this legendary mass of hatred and malice?" asked Naruto.

The Kyuubi eyed the blonde for a moment before taking and inquisitive look over Naruto. Its eyes roamed over the boy, sizing him up.

"**Yes" **the fox paused for a moment **"We were never supposed to be used as weapons of war, only to bring peace, that was our purpose given to use by the old man"**

"**you see, your kind like killing each other, we were created to keep the balance of power … eventually you'll die and I'll simply be sealed into yet another pathetic meat stick who will use my power to destroy and hurt the innocent" **spoke the Kyuubi.

"I don't want you inside of me, having you inside of me has destroyed my life, I have no parents, barely any friends and my home village would rather see me dead then defend them" Naruto said evenly as if it were a natural thing.

"**Then why defend them? Why defend what you could so easily destroy?" **

"Because there are people in that village that do like me, who acknowledge my existence … they don't care that you are sealed inside me … they see me for me, if I destroy the village, id destroy them too … I want to prove that im not a monster"

"**Honesty is a rare thing these days … as such it deserves a reward … I don't trust you … not in the slightest, but! I will allow you to use my Chakra to a certain degree from now on, you'll find its much easier to control … if you break my trust-"**

"Kyuubi … you are within me, you are part of me … weather we like it or not, I wont let you down … and ill see what I can do about this seal in the meantime but I have to go now, thank you and it was nice to finally speak to you" Naruto smiled genuinely at the fox before he faded from the mind-scape.

"**He's a weird one … sense a lot of the old man in him … perhaps"** the fox grinned evilly as it lay back down and crossed its arms to rest its head on.

* * *

><p><strong>Real World.<strong>

Naruto snapped back to reality and took a deep breath of the fresh late spring air, it was warm out and he felt different than usual, he felt stronger, as if weight upon him had been released. He looked over to Hinata, Haku and Hien, Hien caught his eye and she nodded to him with a small smile.

"Hinata" Naruto spoke, getting the girl attention.

She walked over to walk next to Naruto.

"Yes Naruto-kun?"

"Something happened back in the village … more specifically within your clan, the Hokage sent me a message yesterday with the details … the main branch council is has passed a vote to brand you with the caged bird seal" Naruto explained quietly.

Hinata looked to becoming more stressed out and upset by the second. Naruto put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze as he kept talking.

"Look, I need you to follow me, if it comes down to a fight, you, Haku and your mother will keep running, I wont let either of you get hurt … were going to be hiding at my place until Hokage-sama has sorted this out properly.

"W-What if t-they find us?" she asked quietly as she began to panic.

"Then I'll protect you with my life, Anko-sensei will meet us there with a couple of Chunin" you'll be safe, I promise"

Sakura then interrupted "Count me in too, I wont let my friends suffer"

"Don't worry Hinata … I'm coming to, so is Haku" said Hien.

"O-Okay ..." Hinata said, though she still hung her head feeling defeated.

Naruto silently created three Kage bunshin, one henged itself to look like Hinata, the other to look like Sakura before they slipped away from team seven, the other three Genin being none the wiser whilst Kakashi had turned his head slightly at the moment of the switch before walking his team and the clones onward toward Konoha's main gate.

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha gate.<strong>

The Konoha group returned to Konoha's front gate to find seven Hyuga waiting for them at the entrance.

Kakashi lead his team away immediately.

"Lets go, this is not our buisness" Kakashi said as he shuffled his three Genin along.

The clones stayed behind and walked up, addressing the Hyuga elders, the Naruto clone spoke first.

"Uzumaki Naruto, acting Chunin of this squad … how may I help you?"

A young man with long black hair and extremely pale skin stepped forward, his forehead was bare, showing to the world that he was a main house Hyuga. His Byakugan was active and staring straight at the clones.

"I am here to escort our … _heiress _… back to the clan compound immediately" spoke the man, his eyes focused specifically on 'Hinata'. His tone of voice would suggest he were disgusted with having been spoken to by a commoner.

"Unfortunately, Hinata is needed for debriefing on a C-rank turned A-rank with the Hokage as we encountered … well im not supposed to talk about that kind of stuff, you know that im sure?" 'Naruto' spoke pleasantly.

"Indeed …but this is not a request, she must come" the man quipped impatiently.

By now, passer bys and even a few shinobi had stopped to watch what was going on, curious as to why the the Hyuga where out in such force. Whispered started to pass around the growing crowd, most of them about Naruto finally getting what was coming to him.

The Naruto clone frowned as he spoke "As her current C.O you have no jurisdiction over my squad, step aside and let us pass or I'll have you brought up on charges of obstruction"

"The Hyuga clan does not play by your rules" the man said back as he sent a glance at the other six Hyuga who started to surround the group.

The Naruto clone narrowed his eyes at the Hyuga "Treason …"

"Acquire the Heiress …. any state will do" spoke the Hyuga before all seven of them charged in toward the group.

The Naruto clone stepped forward aggressively and spoke loudly with force "Choose carefully upon where you point your kunai, Hyuga … Make no mistake! If you attack my team I will strike you down with a vengeance unlike any other!"

The Hyuga's eyes widened slightly as rage consumed him, he dashed forward at blinding speed, aiming to end 'Naruto's' life.

The ground in front of the sprinting Hyuga suddenly erupted into a storm of dust and dirt.

Once the dust cleared, it revealed an ANBU bearing the mask of the swan. Her long blue-black hair cascaded down her back like a dark waterfall of pure midnight. She held the Hyuga in front of herself on his knees, gasping as she had a firm grip on his throat. His eyes widened slightly as she let her grip tighten before she tore his throat out.

"By order of the Sandaime Hokage" spoke the ANBU, turning to look at the other six Hyuga as ANBU wrestled them to the ground whilst Jounin started clearing the crowds from the scene.

"You six are under arrest for acts of treason, take them to their cells then link up with us at the Hyuga compound" she ordered, getting nodes of approval before the six Hyuga disappeared with their ANBU escorts in a cloud of smoke.

The ANBU then turned to Naruto and his clones "Thank you for the set up, you can dispel now, your team is at your place with the Hokage"

"Thanks, I don't think I'd have survived a direct kill shot … they'd have seen right through the plan if I had popped" the 'Naruto' clone smiled a bit before all three cloned puffed out of existence.

* * *

><p><strong>Random Konoha roof.<strong>

A pair of white eyes watched the entire ordeal at the gate from a distance before deactivating his doujutsu "I know where she is" he said as he stood, joining his two team mates.

"Finally … after twelve long years … at last we shall have our revenge" choked the leader through a respirator.

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER END<strong>

**Well, all I can say is im sorry for the wait. I think this chapter had a good star, I screwed up the middle but I feel I was a bit mean with the cliff hanger, again.**

**Aaaanyways I hope you all enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.**

**Anyway let me know how I did. :D**


	16. Confrontations & Wierdness

Confrontation and wierdness

Naruto raced through the trees at top speed toward his home. He made the ram seal, creating a dozen clones and nodding to them, six broke off into separate directions immediately whilst the other six kept their pace with the original.

"We're being followed" spoke one of the clones.

"They didnt fall for the bait, seven, eight, nine, break"

Another three clones broke off from the formation, this time they each created ten clones of themselves, dispelling as they did. The thirty clones turned and started to sweep the forest, setting quick explosive traps and trip wires before they all broke up into groups of five, heading in different directions.

* * *

><p><strong>Some distance behind.<strong>

"these 'traps' and 'diversions' are just insulting to my eyes! I want to kill him … I want to tear his heart out" spoke one of the three Hyuga perusers.

"Patients Onnen … patients … we can all kill him … but his lungs are mine!" snarled the leader through his respirator, coughing slightly at the end.

"Not before we kill the heiress … that is our primary mission objective … then we can brutally slaughter anyone we want!"

"Shut it Muzan … we will kill them both any anyone who stands in our way" spoke the leader, coughing once more.

"Satsu … why do you want his lungs, they are tainted!" spat Onnen with disgust.

"What doesn't kill you only makes your stronger … that's why Onnen!" snarled Satsu.

A moment of silence passed as they leapt further into the forest they each suddenly slammed their palms together, producing three blasts of dark smoke, blowing away to reveal Satsu holding a a reverse blade sword, Onnen brandished a barbed blade attached to a chain with a weight on the other end and finally Muzan held a pole blade.

"The Hyuga clans shame we are … we fulfil the shadowed needs of the clan … we are the dirtied and unholy , the darkness of our clan is shielded by us … not since twelve years have we been called upon … it is time we returned to empower our name, our cause" Satsu rasped as he flicked his wrist, the reverse blade sliding instantly with a click from one end of the hilt through the other.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto.<strong>

Naruto tutted in frustration when one of his clones memories came back to hi, what annoyed him was that it, along with several others had dispelled without giving him a scrap of information on the enemy, they had seen nothing and heard nothing

"I love a challenge and all but fuck me, these guys are pro's when it comes to stealth and assassination" Naruto stopped moving and landed on a tree branch. He turned around to wait for his perusers.

"The closer I get to home, the closer Hinata-chan is to danger … looks like this is the end of the line for me … I didnt say I would make it easy now would I?" Naruto smirked and shrugged to himself as he sat down a moment and performed the rat seal.

* * *

><p><strong>Mind Scape.<strong>

Naruto found it much easier and quicker to enter the sewerage system of his mind than usual, he chalked this up to the semi-understanding he had with his tenant, he walked through the catacombs to the sealed gate.

"Greeting's fox" spoke Naruto as he walked up to the cage.

"**Meat stick" **the fox greeted back before it continued **"I sense you came here for more than just a friendly chat over some tasty mutilated rabbit and a nice cup of refreshing muddy puddle water … the rabbits blood sweetens it a little but-" **

"We have a problem ..." Naruto interrupted.

"**Oh do tell, I'd love to know how your current situation outside has anything to do with sweet innocent me"** the fox grinned, sarcasm literally dripped from every word as he rolled around in his cage from side to side with a wide, sharp, toothy grin.

"I die you die, remember?" Naruto said, raising an eyebrow.

"**Oh … yeah"** The fox sat up, his voice bored.

"Will you help me?" asked Naruto, staring up through the cage.

"**And if I were to say no?" **asked the fox as he narrowed his eyes, his shoulders haunched as he looked closer at Naruto.

"Then we're going to die …" said Naruto in a cheerful tone.

"**Would it be brutal and bloody?"** asked the fox curiously.

"Most likely … look are you going to help me or not?" asked Naruto seriously.

"**Mayybeeee"** The fox grinned, its eyes squinting evilly.

There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other for a few seconds until Naruto started getting irritated.

"I haven't got time for this" Naruto snarled and turned to retreat from his mind.

"**Meat stick"**

Naruto turned abruptly "What?"

"**How are you with Katon jutsu?"** the fox ginned wickedly.

* * *

><p><strong>Outside world.<strong>

Naruto opened his eyes when he felt his perusers stop a few meters away from him on another tree branch.

He stared at each of them before he spoke "So finally my perusers show themselves … and so well prepared for combat, but you see … you're so slow that you gave me enough time to prepare"

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

The three Hyuga managed to dodge the roaring white inferno that tore through the tree they had just occupied, but not without their clothes burning up slightly. The white flames tore through the tree in minutes, causing it to topple over with a huge resounding boom as it smashed into the earth beneath it.

"W-white flames!" Onnen whispered, looking back toward Naruto who looked back between all three of them.

Satsu stared at the white flames before staring back at Naruto "Your lungs belong to me ..." he rasped before all three Hyuga charged Naruto, weapons ready and Byakugan's active.

Naruto drew both of his Ninja-to and readied himself.

Naruto waited as time slowed down, each Hyuga inching ever closer. He couldn't believe his eyes when a white blur leapt from behind him and swatted all three Hyuga back through three trees with enough force to cause a sonic boom.

Naruto blinked as Sarutobi, sandaime Hokage landed a few feet in front of himself.

"Old man!" Naruto greeted with relief as he stepped up next to the Hokage.

"I haven't seen the white fire since Mito … but never on this scale … lets even the odd, ill take the creep with the respirator and you take the guy with the chained weapon" Sarutobi spoke.

"What about the prick with the pole blade?" Naruto asked.

"I've got it covered" spoke a feminine voice as Haku stepped forward next to Naruto and the Hokage.

"Its been a long time Sarutobi Hiruzen … you look frail, weak" spoke Satsu.

"I'll give you weak you disrespectful little shit … I'll be sending you home in a jar today" spoke Sarutobi, removing his hat and robes to reveal his black armour.

"So frail … so weak, you are not the first of your clan to die by my hands Sarutobi … Asaru was weak too" said Satsu, his eyes wide with murderous glee.

Sarutobi looked at Satsu calmly. Before Satsu found himself assaulted viciously by the old man. It was only due to the slowed vision of the Byakugan that Satsu even managed to keep up, though he couldn't at any point counter attack. Sarutobi then did something Satsu couldn't block and with a hard smash, Sarutobi's head met Satsu's face before the dazed Hyuga took a hard knee to the stomach, lifting him from the tree branch before he was repelled back with a forceful roundhouse kick, sending the Hyuga through a thick tree branch.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto.<strong>

Onnen leapt at Naruto with a psychotic grin, launching his chained blade in a wide arc for Naruto's neck. Naruto leapt back out of range of the weapon and returned his own to their scabbards before he leapt over the blade as it came past for another strike.

"I don't like your toy, I don't wanna play with you" Naruto mocked childishly, throwing some shuriken at Onnen.

Onnen simply spun the chain, deflecting the projectile's and smirked "I have prayed to Kami, asking for head to one day be severed from your neck by this very blade … it seems I'm in Kami's favour!" Onnen laughed psychotically as he once again lashed his weapon like a whip at Naruto.

Naruto quickly made seals before calling his technique "Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

Once more the white flames spilled forth from Naruto's mouth toward Onnen.

Onnen was about to leap to the side when a pair of hands burst from the ground and grasped his ankles, holding him in place as the fire washed over his body.

Naruto shivered as the shrieks from inside the fire echoed through the forest. He quickly raised his arm as a chain whipped around his throat, though he managed to catch the barbed blade attached to it with his upper arm rather than his throat.

Naruto struggled as the chain tightened and pulled him. Naruto stared in disbelief as his fire died down to reveal a very horribly burnt and disfigured Onnen trying to pull him down. The man's hair was gone, his skin was blackened and crackled with undying embers as the bloody flesh beneath started to appear through the ripping remains of skin.

Naruto almost vomited as the flesh from Onnen fingers peeled off slightly, the stench of burnt flesh wafting through the air.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Onnen screeched painfully as he pulled harder on the chain.

Naruto grunted in pain as the barbed blade dug deeper into his flesh.

* * *

><p><strong>Haku.<strong>

"You tried to kill my friends and family … I hate killing,but for them, I'm going to murder you … slowly, painfully, you will not take what's important from me" Haku said calmly as she readied herself.

"A little harlot like yourself is beneath me … step aside, I don't have time to kill trash like you" Muzan snarled, pointing his pole blade at Haku.

Haku made three hand seals and pulled up her sleeve "Hyouton: Koori no Yaiba no jutsu!"

Instantly a serrated blade of ice formed in Haku's hand, extending for about two foot into a razor sharp tip.

Muzan glared at Haku before snarling as he leapt forward, jabbing forward with his pole blade, jabbing forward and slashing furiously at Haku. Haku responded by weaving past each blade strike until Muzan lodged his blade into a tree trying to jab her.

Haku acted quickly and without hesitation in attacking Muzan, lashing out with her own blade, Muzan leapt back from Haku before he slammed his hands to get her once more, revealing his weapon returned to his hands as he quickly plunged it forward at Haku.

"Trying to separate myself and my weapon will not work harlot!" Muzan snapped as Haku dodged the blade once more.

"I'll just destroy you completely then" Haku said as she put both hands on her blade and channelled her Chakra into it.

Muzan stared and snorted when the blade became five and a half foot long with a curved point. Haku brandished her ice-styled Kubikiri houcho as if it was weightless.

Muzan narrowed his eyes at Haku, tilted his weapon forward slightly before he struck at her with it repeatedly with impossible speed.

Haku blocked all the strikes of the pole blade with the flat side of her ice blade before leaping back and making six hand seals "Hyouton bunshin no jutsu"

Two clones materialised from water molecules in the aid before they attacked Muzan with identical blades, each aiming to skewer him from a different angle.

The Hyuga scoffed as he swiped his blade through the clones throat and in a swift motion, pierced the clones 'heart' with the blade before ripping it out as the clone dissolved into water. He then dodged the other clones blade and made for an open palm heart strike.

Muzan's eyes grew wide with shock and panic as his hand seemed to pass through the cloned icy cold body right as the clone turned to solid ice, trapping his open palm deep within.

Muzan looked toward Haku as she darted in with her ice blade, ready to cleave the traitor in two. Muzan quickly thrust his pole blade for Haku for it to meet the flat of the ice blade and shatter like glass. Haku stopped short in front of Muzan who tried to free himself from the ice.

"You threatened the life of my friends … my family" Haku glared at the man "For that I cant allow you to live … but I'm not stupid enough to let you get close to me"

Haku made another ten hand seals "Hyouton: Kokunai shimo inmetsu!"

Haku watched as Muzan started to scream soundlessly as the arm embedded in ice started to glisten as it spread slowly up the man's arm and around his body, giving the man a silvery-shine in the light until he was still and unmoving. Slowly, small red tinted spikes of ice started to sprout from the Hyuga's skin.

Haku then threw one senbon at the statuesque Hyuga and watched as his body shattered like glass, falling to the ground in a pile of frozen meat.

She walked up to the remains of Muzan and spat on what was left of him "I hope that hurt" she whispered to the corpse as she dispelled her clone.

* * *

><p><strong>Sarutobi.<strong>

Sarutobi stared at Satsu as he once more rose to his feet after yet another savage beating from the Hokage. Satsu had simply laughed his way through all of the pain, broken nose, broken ribs. He had simply laughed harder and harder as the Hokage hit him over and over.

"So weak … come on, even Asaru put up a better fight than this before I beat him half to death … it was beautiful, he practically cried like a child, begging for his life before I executed him and threw his corpse into the sewers in the village … a fitting end for a pathetic weakling" Satsu laughed with murderous glee as he picked up his reverse blade sword.

"You killed my son …Before you die you shall know his pain ten fold, as Hokage I promise you that!" Sarutobi proclaimed as he leapt forward, smashing his fist into Satsu's face with an audible crack of bone.

Satsu leaps back and coughed through his respirator, planning his next move as he tried to painfully push his jaw bone back into some form of fuctionality.

Sarutobi made four seals "Katon: Kaijin no kage!" he called, inhaling and exhaling a huge plume of thick black smoke, blanketing the entire area. Satsu laughed psychotically through the smoke.

"You forget you're fighting a Hyuga? I can see through this smoke, don't insult me!" Satsu screeched through the respirator.

"I'm not done!" Sarutobi shouted as he finished his hand seals, leaping back out of the smoke "Futon: Yasashii oshi!"

Sarutobi blew a gentle stream of wind from his mouth into the smoke before he leapt back further.

Satsu only laughed when nothing happened at all "Is that it? Really? Some fucking smoke and a bit of wind?" the Hyuga laughed.

Sarutobi only smirked as he tilted his hat, in that moment the smoke cloud flared into a roaring inferno, lasting only a few seconds until all of the smoke had been consumed. But that scant few seconds of merciless screaming, those cries of absolute agony only made the Hokage smile in satisfaction, though he was not yet finished.

Sarutobi had to admit that he was surprised when he found Satsu still alive and still standing, though his entire body crackled with burning embers ass his respirator pumped out smoke.

"Painful isn't it!" Sarutobi said as Satsu fell to his knees, gripping at his throat and chest, wheezing through his respirator.

"Tricky contraptions, respirators … the charcoal filters are good at filtering poisons from the air, making it breathable … but you see, exposed to an intense flame and the charcoal itself becomes super heated and produces a poisonous gas itself, carbon monoxide … right now you're feeling your lungs slowly ignite with the heat of the gas and soon ..." Sarutobi said as he just watched.

Satsu clawed at his throat as the skin around his mouth and throat started to blacken and ignite into bright orange flames. His chest also seemed to ignite into flames all lasting only a few minutes, Satsu long dead and still burning.

"Like I said … I'll be sending you home in a jar today" the Hokage spoke sadly was he watched the cremation of his enemy.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto.<strong>

Onnen pulled harder on his chain, more and more of his flesh peeling away, cracking and bleeding as he strained his already damaged muscles trying to tear Naruto from the tree. Naruto on the other hand strengthened his grip to the tree with Chakra but he knew that with the chain wrapped around his arm and neck and impaled into his arm that he and Onnen were now fighting a battle of attrition, who's strength would fail them first?

Naruto felt the chain around his throat tighten slightly. He felt his vision waver slightly under the pressure now being put on his body as his body bent forward slightly.

"Come to me! MEET YOUR DEATH WITH HONOR!" screamed Onnen as he pulled tighter on the chain. Onnen's eyes were wide now as he saw his vengeance before him. He was so close to ripping Naruto from the tree when his chain suddenly snapped.

"What!"

"If you touch him again, ill kill you!" came a voice from behind Onnen.

Onnen turned his head to look over his shoulder.

"Cousin Hiashi …. hows the wife?" Onnen smirked at his own insult.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes, giving Onnen the famed glare of the Hyuga clan there was a thick tension in the air before Hiashi actually bowed his head and smirked.

"What the fuck are you smiling at you smug bastard?" Onnen demanded as he turned his body slightly toward Hiashi.

Hiashi simply laughed at Onnen for a few seconds before he looked up at Onnen with a rare expression of amusement before he spoke.

"Them"

Onnen turned to look back toward Naruto only to Have a gloved fist meet his jaw as he felt a few sharp jabs on his stomach. Another fist came to his right eye just as a kick connected with his mid back. Doubling over to his hands and Knees, the rouge Hyuga spat some blood from his mouth and looked up to see Hinata and another pink haired girl helping Naruto up from the floor.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you all!" Onnen choked as he dashed toward Naruto, pulling a long thin blade from the charred scraps of his sleeve.

The three Genin watched Onnen and immediately reacted, Naruto dashed forward and grasped Onnen's throat with one hand and the wrist of the hand that held the blade "It's over"

Onnen's eyes widened as both Hinata and Sakura skidded around Naruto and drove their Tanto's up through either side of Onnen's ribcage. As one both girls twisted their respective blades and tore them out aggressively as blood arced off the blades. Onnen slumped forward, his head falling onto Naruto's shoulder, still weakly trying to push his blade into Naruto's gut.

"W-why? Why wont you die! … I want you to die!" Onnen coughed out painfully as hot tears fell down his face.

Naruto stayed silent for a moment "The Kyuubi … you want revenge for what happened twelve years ago?"

At the mere mention of the fox, Onnen growled and tried to push his blade further but Naruto was too strong for the now weakened man. Naruto shoved Onnen back, pushing him to the ground painfully.

"I'm sorry for what the fox did … I truly am, but I cant be made to pay for his crimes, even if it is sealed within me, tell me, how will my death bring back what you had? It wont! How will my death solve any of the problems the fox caused and left behind? It wont! … how long would the closure of my death last? You'd still be left just as broken and bitter as before" Naruto snapped back at the Hyuga, leaving him speechless.

Onnen then leapt forward off the ground, screaming as he held his blade high overhead to bring down on Naruto. He stopped short as his face contorted, twisted in pain as as blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. He looked down to find the once shy, meek heiress glaring at him with her Byakugan flared. He looked down further, his body shaking with pain to find her Tanto buried hilt deep in his chest just below the sternum.

"You will not harm him!" Hinata commanded as she twisted her blade, causing Onnen to jerk slightly before falling back to the ground, dead.

Hinata stood there, her arm still out stretched as she panted slightly, looking at the corpse of her own cousin with wide eyes. She looked down to the blade in her Hands and dropped it, taking a step back with wide eyes.

"Hinata" Hiashi snapped, getting her attention "You saved Naruto's life … don't dwell on killing this man, it was either him or Naruto" Hiashi quipped sharply, getting a shaky nod from his daughter.

"You all done here too?" Asked Sarutobi as he Leapt down from the trees with Haku.

"Just about Hokage-sama" Sakura answered for the group as she picked up Hinata's Tanto and cleaned the blood off with a cloth rag before

"Who were these three?" Asked Sarutobi.

"They used to be the Hyuga's elite assassins … before they went missing on October tenth twelve years ago, my guess is that the Hyuga council hid them away from us and had them doing their bidding within and without the village" Hiashi spoke as he looked down sadly at Onnen's corpse, his eyes still open, unmoving and still.

"Hokage-sama!" an ANBU called as a squad of four materialised beside Sarutobi.

"Report!" Sarutobi spoke with authority as he turned to them.

"All suspects have been rounded up and sent to the T&I cells, several tried to fight back and with your orders, were dealt with using deadly force … we have sustained no deaths on our part but there are several minor casualties requiring medial assistance" The ANBU reported.

"And the Hyuga casualties?" asked Sarutobi

At this point everyone was listening intently, non more so than Hiashi and Hinata.

The ANBU paused for a moment and lowered his head slightly "Seven dead, three injured"

Sarutobi nodded to the ANBU before he turned to Hiashi and Hinata "I am truly sorry for your loss"

"They may have been traitors but they were still family …" Hiashi bowed his head.

"My eyes … t-they hurt" Hinata whispered as she rubbed them slightly.

"Naruto hows your arm?" asked Sarutobi after glancing at the blood soaked and shredded sleeve of Naruto's black long sleeved shirt.

"Almost healed … thanks to … you know, I'm more annoyed that I have ruined yet another shirt" Naruto grumbled to which Sakura just rolled her eyes.

"All right … well team Anko … you may resume your current mission objective, I will stop by later to make appropriate arrangements, Haku, you go with them" Sarutobi nodded to the four, who nodded before they disappeared back into the forest all except Naruto.

"Something to add Naruto?"

"Yes … I want to court martial Uchiha Sasuke"

"On what grounds?" Asked Sarutobi seriously.

"Insubordination, theft, assault, endangerment of a fellow shinobi, attempted rape, sexual assault … I think that's about it" Naruto listed.

Sarutobi's mouth dropped a little lower with each charge.

"You're serious?" asked Hiashi.

"As a heart attack Hiashi-sama … trust me, let Inochi-sama have a leisurely stroll through his head … you'll have your evidence …" Naruto spoke as he turned to catch up to his team mates.

"Naruto!" Spoke Hiruzen seriously, gaining the boys attention.

Naruto turned slightly, giving his leader his full attention.

"What transpired here tonight?" the Hokage asked calmly.

Naruto looked around the area as if simply enjoying the view "Nothing, sir"

"Just as I thought my boy, let your team-mates know that too … and make sure you and the two girls come by my office tomorrow, apparently you were paid an 'Incorrect' wage for a previous mission … if you get my drift" Sarutobi finished, retrieving his pipe from his robes and twirling it in hand before bringing it up to his mouth.

Naruto Nodded his acknowledgement as he was about to turn away.

"Also, be ready for a council summons tomorrow, it wont be pretty either … you know the drill" Sarutobi spoke as he pointed the mouthpiece of his pipe at Naruto who simply nodded in return before disappearing to the trees, instantly catching up to his waiting team-mates and friend.

Back with the Hokage and Hiashi, they both looked at one another.

Sarutobi just sighed and shrugged slightly.

"Your seriously going to go through with it based upon what a Genin has told you?" asked Hiashi.

"A Genin who was acting Chunin during the dual mission … I believe Naruto's word over my own advisor's Hiashi-kun … he's just like his father, trustworthy unto death" Sarutobi replied lazily.

"Acting Chunin?" asked Hiashi in confusion.

"Naruto exhibits the skill set needed to be a Chunin, he has done since he was nine years old, he is a Chunin level ninja, its only his rank on paper that states otherwise" Sarutobi spoke with a smile.

Hiashi bowed his head as he smirked "The team reminds me of your old Genin squad … just as strong and independent"

"They will be the second generation of Sannin that Konoha will produce … mark my words, they will be great and powerful, especially Naruto … he's already surpassed Minato's level when he was at his age by ten fold, he might even be considered the second Kami no shinobi, among other things of course" Sarutobi smirked over his shoulder at Hiashi as he walked away.

Hiashi watched the retreating form of the Hokage as he himself thought about what was said.

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto's House.<strong>

The four had just arrived back when they heard shouting from inside the house.

Naruto opened the door to a sight he would not soon forget, his adoptive mother and sensei was sat in the corner of the room, defending herself with a frying pan as Hien stood over her menacingly, the room reeked of fear and pure animosity mixed.

The four teens looked at the scene with varying levels of confusion and a little bit of fear.

Hien, who hadn't noticed the teens open the door, continued screaming at Anko "YOU WANT TEACH WHAT TO MY DAUGHTER?"

"Umm … mum? W-whats going on?" Hinata asked nervously, her eyes still puffy and red from earlier.

Hien whipped around, a fake smile plastered on her face, though it didnt at all erase the atmosphere of blood-lust in the room.

"Heyyyyyy kids"

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care" Naruto repeated to himself as he walked past Hien and upstairs to his room with his hands over his ears.

Everyone watched Naruto go until Hien rounded back to the three girls "What's up with him?"

There was an awkward silence until Sakura answered the question.

"I think he's already reached his limit for crazy for today" Sakura shrugged.

"Hien glared back at Anko, who held the frying pan shakily in outstretched arms at the Hyuga matriarch. Hien glared and growled at Anko "We will continue this later!" Hien then smiled at the three girls before she walked off to the kitchen.

"What just happened? I mean who … what was? … just why?" Haku asked in bewilderment.

Sakura put an one arm around Haku and one around Hinata as she spoke "Don't even ask, just accept it as it is … to dwell is to loose ones self in thoughts that would lead to madness"

"W-what are you t-talking about?" asked Hinata as she rubbed her eyes.

"I haven't a clue ladies … what I do know though … is that I am in fact, rather hungry" Sakura said as she followed after Hien into the kitchen, leaving Hinata and Haku stood by the front door confused and Anko still sat in the corner with the frying pan, until Hien appeared in the door way a snatched the frying pan from Anko and dissapeared once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Done!<strong>

**Yes, I know its late, yes I know its about time …. but I had a little trouble writing this.**

**Also, the fire technique that Sarutobi uses in this chapter is not the same as Asuma's, it is similar but it isn't the same.**

**I hope I didnt disappoint people with this chapter and I know you people are going to have some questions which will be answered in the following chapters.**

**As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I would like to hear your thoughts about my story so far, I will not be giving away plot lines though ;D**


	17. Judgment day

Judgment day.

Naruto awoke slowly as sunlight filtered in to his room through the window. He turned in bed to look out of the window for a moment before slowly sitting up in bed, running a hand through his hair and letting out a yawn to try and wake himself further from his sleep. He sat there for a moment before he sighed and swung his legs out of the bed and stood to stretch.

Naruto walked through the door-less frame in his room to his bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror above the sink for a few seconds.

"Baby sitting and a council meeting … a stressful day ahead, this calls for ramen" Naruto sighed out before he got a shower and got ready for the day as usual.

He had just finished getting dressed and strapping on his weapons and pouches when someone knocked on his door.

Naruto walked over slowly and opened the door to find Sakura who was just about to knock louder.

"Oh you're up, good!" Sakura said with a smile. When Naruto didn't respond she spoke again "Breakfast is almost ready so come on down when you're ready, also Anko is on her way from the tower for today's training session to start early" she spoke with a slight groan.

Naruto held up a single finger before turning back into his room and grabbing an oversized black t-shirt from his wardrobe. He slung the shirt over his shoulder before turning back to Sakura and walking past her out of his bedroom door, closing it behind him.

"What's the shirt for?" Sakura asked with confusion.

"Wait for it" Said Naruto as he lead Sakura down stairs.

"Wait for what?" asked Sakura, truly confused by her team-mates actions.

Naruto simply walked into the kitchen and leaned against the wall, stifling a yawn as he heard the front door open and footsteps approaching the kitchen. Sakura had already sat at the dining table whilst Hinata and Hien helped one another cook, Haku simply sat in her seat, face down on the table with her arms dangling lifelessly toward the floor. Sakura glanced toward Naruto, curiously as Anko walked into the door frame.

"'Sup Ninjas?" she greeted happily.

Sakura's eyes drifted to Anko at the same time as Hinata and Hien turned to greet her and Haku turned her heard to look at Anko. All stared in abject horror as Anko stood proudly in the doorway, hands on her hips with a grin, topless.

Naruto just sighed, lowering his head in embarrassment, quite used to this almost daily dose of nudity from his teacher.

"WHAT THE HELL! WOMAN, I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU!" Hien almost leapt over the dining table in anger.

Naruto quickly threw the spare shirt at Anko "Wear it or die, your choice sensei" he said, sitting himself down with his back to her so as not to look at her.

"But Naruto-kun!" Anko mock whined, trying to imitate Hinata's voice, though only Naruto picked up on the intention of the bad impression.

Naruto shrunk slightly in his seat, head lowered as he tried to make himself appear disinterested.

Anko scowled when Naruto never took the bait and quickly pulled the black shirt over her head. She smirked as she forced it over her breasts, barely fitting her. She walked up behind Naruto and pulled him into a hug, the back of his head being forced into the crook of two very squishy pillows.

"Good morning Naruto-kun!" Anko bounced.

Naruto blushed slightly as he let out a small growl of annoyance just as she let go and sat herself down.

Haku watched the entire exchange with Sakura, Hinata having turned away from embarrassment; both girls looked reluctant to eat as Hien served them their breakfast. Haku barely lifted her head off the table to look at her plate to see two fried eggs staring back at her.

"Kami … they are everywhere" she muttered before she gave in and started eating.

Sakura looked between Naruto and Anko before she shook her head at how well Naruto knew Anko.

"Where did you all sleep?" asked Naruto curiously.

"You have two spare rooms, remember?" asked Sakura with a raised eyebrow, fork halfway to her mouth.

"Oh …" Naruto looked at her.

"I was on watch all night" Haku grumbled.

"Y-Yes, Sakura took one room and Mother a-and I t-took the other" Hinata spoke as she handed Anko a plate and gave Naruto his, sitting herself down in the process.

Anko grinned and nudged Naruto as she whispered "Get on that brat, milf and daughter! Imagine-"

"Sensei, please!" Naruto pleaded as he rubbed his temples, blushing whilst furiously attempting to block out all mental images.

"Anko … leave the poor boy alone!" Hien quipped, much to the amusement of Anko, who laughed boisterously. Hien set Hinata's plate down and her own before she sat herself down.

"Oh and if you call me a 'milf' again … I will hurt you, badly" Hien spoke, giving Anko a glare.

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

Team seven walked toward the Hokage's office in attempts to get another C-rank. Kakashi Walked lazily behind his team, reading his book when he sensed several people watching him and his team.

"'bout time" he muttered to himself as he and his team entered the mission hall.

Sasuke walked ahead of his team and straight up toward the desk where the Hokage sat with Iruka and Konoha's key treasurer. Upon seeing the Uchiha enter the mission hall, both Sarutobi and Iruka sat up. They were baffled though as the Uchiha walked straight up to the desk and started ripping open the mission scrolls, reading the titles before he made an expression of disgust and tossing it to the floor.

Hiruzen narrowed his eyes slightly and watched the last Uchiha of Konoha with a critical eye.

"Are you looking for something?" Asked Sarutobi.

"A Mission worthy of my standards" Sasuke spoke as he tossed yet another d-ranked mission scroll to the floor.

"Ohhh" Sarutobi replied, playing the part of a curious old man.

The rest of team seven watched in horror at Sasuke's actions, Kakashi was about to drag Sasuke away from the desk when a glance from Sarutobi stopped him.

"Sasuke!" came Sarutobi's stern voice.

Sasuke looked up, mission scroll in hand as he glared at the old Hokage "What?" he snapped in reply.

Sarutobi held a look of angered disbelief as he heard Sasuke's tone of voice. He looked away for a moment as he leant forward, bringing his stern expression back to Sasuke.

"Who do you think you are?" Sarutobi asked with a calm seriousness to his voice.

Sasuke glared at Sarutobi and was about to reply when the Hokage beat him to it "Don't you even think about it!" Sarutobi scolded the boy, a look of utter contempt on his face as he did so.

"And wipe that look off your face you disrespectful, spoiled little bastard! You are in enough trouble as it is!" Sarutobi spat as he stood from his chair, glaring down at Sasuke.

"And why would I be in trouble?" Sasuke demanded defiantly.

Sarutobi unleashed a tsunami of killer intent and blood-lust throughout the room, sending Sasuke to his knees from the pressure of it all.

"Don't talk, Listen and listen well!By the power vested in me as the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, I hear by court martial one, Uchiha Sasuke. The charges are as follows-"

"WAIT-"

"DO NOT INTERUPT ME!" Sarutobi bellowed as he backhanded the Uchiha, sending him to the ground with force.

" The charges … Theft, attempted rape, sexual assault, assault, endangering a fellow Konoha shinobi, attacking a fellow Konoha shinobi and repeated accounts of insubordination … and by the looks of my mission scrolls we can add criminal damage to those charges as well!" Sarutobi raged, staring down furiously at Sasuke who only looked back with fear as the charges were given.

"ANBU … take him to Ibiki and Have Inochi probe his mind, if he resists … use force" Sarutobi commanded as two ANBU materialised next to Sasuke, one pulling the boy to his feet roughly whilst the other cuffed him and stuck a suppression seal onto the boys stomach.

By now Sasuke was kicking and screaming furiously, trying to claim his innocence as he was shunshined away by the ANBU.

Sarutobi then rounded onto Kakashi, Shino and Kiba "You three, Mission reports, Now!" he demanded as he took his chair and started furiously writing something down.

Sarutobi finished his note, put it inside an envelope and sealed it with his personal mark "Kiba, take this letter to the Hawk's Nest, have it sent to wave country, specifically to Tazuna and make sure our fastest hawk is on the job, go!" Sarutobi commanded as he handed Kiba the small envelope.

Once Kiba left, Sarutobi looked at Kakashi "Report … and don't skip the details!"

* * *

><p><strong>Naruto's house.<strong>

All of a sudden everyone had a sudden chill race up their spine.

"Someone's in deep shit" Naruto muttered as he glanced in the direction of the village.

"Damn right" Anko spoke with a slight edge of fear in her voice, something as rare as Sarutobi actually losing his temper.

Naruto ate in silence whilst everyone else spoke to one another, he noticed Hinata rubbing her temples every now and then and remembered her saying her eyes hurt yesterday. It was then that he decided to speak.

"How are your eyes? Do they still hurt?" Naruto asked Hinata directly.

She looked at him, blushing a little and smiled "I-I'm fine Naruto-kun"

Naruto nodded even though she had failed to convince him with her lie. She stayed quiet and watched her from the corner of his eyes as she once again rubbed her eyes slightly.

'I'll have to keep a close eye on her, she's hiding something' Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto looked away from Hinata and stood from the table as an ANBU baring the hawk mask appeared outside the window. Naruto walked over to the window and quickly opened it, speaking with Hawk quietly.

After a few minutes the ANBU departed and Naruto turned to the rest of the group.

"Training is going to have to wait until tomorrow sensei … the team has been called to an emergency council meeting, the Hokage wants everyone here bar Hien-sama and Haku-san to attend … we've got fifteen minutes to get there" Naruto said as he walked over to his weapons cabinet.

"You're going to arm yourself for a council meeting?" Hien asked worriedly.

"I arm myself whenever I go into the village … I'm not well liked among the village population … hence why I live out here" Naruto said as he strapped his retractable wrist blades on and loaded the blades into the vambraces, he finished with putting on his usual ANBU-style black flak vest before closing the cabinet and locking it.

"Not taking the Wakizashi today?" Anko asked, an eyebrow raised as she, Sakura and Hinata readied themselves to go.

"My wrist mounted blades are all I need" Naruto said as he walked to the door, his team-mates following close behind with Anko.

* * *

><p><strong>Council Chambers.<strong>

The Konoha council chamber was a large round room that housed four separate councils, the civilian council, the clan council, the shinobi council and the village elder council, rare was it that these three councils came together in full like this outside of war time. The last time it did so was when Uchiha Itachi had massacred his clan and fled the village.

On the left side of the room sat the Elder council on a raised podium and beneath them, the civilian council party were seated. Opposite to the right was the clan council on the right side raised podium and beneath them sat the shinobi council. In the Centre, between the two sides sat the Hokage's podium and at the back of the room, facing opposite of the Hokage was the onlookers seating area. The entire room was very much considered a courthouse and today it was.

All councils were present and seated, chatting quietly with one another.

Anko arrived with her team and took their seats in the spectators section along with Kakashi, Kiba and Shino.

"What's going on exactly?" asked Sakura.

"Sasuke's court martial ..." Kiba answered, waving his greeting to the new comers. Sakura moved over to sit with Kiba and chatted quietly with him.

Anko looked confused and turned to Kakashi "What are the charges?"

Kakashi sighed, leaning back in his seat warily "Sexual assault, attempted rape, assault, theft, criminal damage … the list goes on" Kakashi sighed.

Anko let the information sink in before she really paid attention to Kakashi's tone of voice she frowned "Don't you doubt your teaching capability Hatake … those two boy are held in High regard with my students, one bad student doesn't make the teacher a failure … just look at sandaime-sama and my sensei …living proof" Anko spoke quietly so none could hear.

"Thanks … I guess I feel responsible because his behaviour reflects on me as a teacher" Kakashi sighed.

"That kid was bad before you got him, remember that" Anko quipped as she took her seat next to Kakashi.

A moment passed before Anko turned back to Kakashi "Why aren't you sat with the other Jounin? You're a Jounin councillor aren't you?"

"I am … but I'm a key witness so my position as a councillor has been revoked for this hearing … standard procedure" Kakashi whispered. As Sarutobi entered the room and took to the Hokage's podium. Everyone stood in respect.

"Thank you all for coming, you may be seated" The Hokage addressed as he sat down in his chair wearing the robes of his position as Hokage now seemed a lot more daunting to the Genin in the room.

"Many of you are wondering why you have been summoned like this … during team sevens last mission, ranked C, location: Wave country, one Uchiha Sasuke broke several Konoha laws during a mission. The charges are as follows" Sarutobi started.

The room became deathly quiet.

"Assault, theft, endangerment of a fellow Konoha shinobi's life, sexual assault, attempted rape, criminal damage and multiple counts of insubordination" Sarutobi listed.

"Who were the victims?" asked Tsume, the Inuzuka matriarch.

"The victims' names matter not, and they never should! The sheer fact that this actually happened make me sick!" Spoke Hiruzen with disgust.

The room was still deathly quiet after the charges were read out.

"Now then, Uchiha Sasuke has been interrogated and refused to answer any and all questions, Instead I had Inochi walk through his memories of these events, Inochi, would you present your findings to the court please?" Sarutobi spoke.

"After the images and truths uncovered from Sasuke's own memory bank it is safe to say that he is indeed guilty of all the charges, I have also made it my personal and professional opinion, and that of my fellow clan councillors, that Uchiha Sasuke is in a state of mental instability, due possibly to past events and possibly even general treatment from others … as the villages leading psychiatric welfare officer I deem Uchiha Sasuke unfit for active duty and I request this council revoke his shinobi status and have him delivered for psychiatric evaluation and treatment until such a time, if ever, he is mentally capable of being a shinobi of the leaf village" Inochi spoke as he produced a sheet of paper which was passed to the Hokage by an ANBU guard.

"If I may interject?" asked a civilian councillor.

Sarutobi nodded to the man, giving him permission.

"Is it truly wise of us to possibly endanger the existence of the the Sharingan bloodline trait?" the man asked.

"Explain" Sarutobi spoke.

"If we do take Uchiha Sasuke out of active duty and have him locked up in a hospital, how will he be able to re-build the Uchiha clan? Not to mention that a lot of missions coming into the village come in hopes that the last Uchiha is sent, so to remove him from active duty could potentially damage our village income" the man asked.

"You raise a good point councillor but the answer to your question lies with the genetics lab" Sarutobi replied. The man bowed and retook his seat saying not another word.

"I agree with the good councillor … removing him from active duty may prove to be the end of the Uchiha, I suggest we find a more direct solution, perhaps we should have the boy pay a fine for each offence as well as limit his missions and we could still have him re-fared to Inochi-sama for counselling twice a week for say … the next six months?" asked another civilian councillor.

Sarutobi nodded as he listened before one of the council elders stood.

"Utatane Koharu?" Sarutobi asked, waiting for his old team-mates opinion on the matter.

"These charges are more than enough to have the boy hanged … but I believe leniency should be given on the account of his clan status, he's not only the last Uchiha, he is the Heir to the clan and as such he has a fair amount of protection via Shodaime-sama's clan laws" the woman spoke, she paused slightly before continuing "I suggest we limit him to missions within the village for the next six months with only half pay, weekly psychiatric treatments and as per Konoha law he should receive some form of physical punishment for his transgressions … lessons are hard learned without the pain of remembrance!" The elderly woman finished.

A chorus of agreements sounded around the room. Sarutobi looked around the room before he nodded to one of his ANBU.

A few moments later Sasuke himself was lead into the chambers, shackled and flanked by two ANBU guards. The guards led him to the centre of the floor, everyone getting a good look at the dishevelled, tired Uchiha.

Sarutobi still felt a hot anger course through his veins as he looked at the boy sternly "Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke looked up tiredly but said nothing. Sarutobi levelled him with a hard glare before continuing.

"Uchiha Sasuke, you have been charged with and have been found guilty of the following offences … Assault, theft, sexual assault, attempted rape, criminal damage, endangerment of a fellow Konoha shinobi and Insubordination … this behaviour warrants your immediate execution" Sarutobi spoke with lethal intent in every word.

Sasuke visibly tensed in fear.

"However … you are being given a chance to redeem your past actions … you will be permitted to partake in missions within the village, none without with half wage for the next six months … you will submit yourself fully to weekly psychological therapy with Inochi-sama, you will also pay a fine of ten thousand Ryo per offence and you will receive seven lashes, do you have anything to say for yourself before your sentence is carried out?" Sarutobi asked with a scowl.

Sasuke shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. Sarutobi narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke again "Then your sentence will be carried out with immediate effect … I am extremely disappointed in you Sasuke and your parents would be ashamed … take him away" Sarutobi commanded.

Teams seven and team Anko hadn't said a word the entire time as the sentence was given, nor did they feel any remorse for Sasuke. They all watched him being lead from the room buy the ANBU guards before Sarutobi spoke once more.

"It pains me to use such barbaric methods but sometimes physical pain is the only way to drive the message home"

Sarutobi said aloud as he stood "If no one has anything to add this court is adjourned, you're all dismissed"

Everyone stood and left the room slowly, some lingered to discuss the case and others just stayed to socialise briefly.

Team seven and Team Anko walked out of the council chambers quickly to avoid being caught up by conversation, not that Naruto would have that problem as he was treated as if he were a walking pestilence. Naruto quickly got out of everyone's way and waited for the rest of his team a little further away from the council chambers.

Naruto was soon joined by Hinata and Anko

"Hey gaki, what happened on that mission?"

"Sasuke attacked me, tried to rape Hinata-chan, stole Hinata-chan's gear … that kind of stuff" Naruto replied uneasily.

"I'll see you two later" Anko spoke seriously before she left in a poof of smoke.

Naruto turned to Hinata "Where's Sakura?"

"S-she went w-with Kiba and Akamaru" the still shy Hyuga replied with a slight blush on her face.

Naruto shook his head slightly when suddenly his head snapped up as realisation dawned on him. He relaxed and looked at Hinata "Hey Hinata-chan … would you like to maybe … get something to eat?" He smiled as she blushed.

"I mean like a date sort of thingy, I did say we would go out once we got back to the village but I guess we all got sort of side tracked" Naruto said with a nervous laugh.

Hinata giggled at Naruto's lack of tact and nodded.

"I-I w-would love t-to"

Naruto took her hand in his and lead her away toward the centre of the village.

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile.<strong>

"Hey Hiashi … 'ain't that your girl walking off with the Uzumaki boy?" Chouza commented as he nodded in the direction of Naruto and Hinata's retreating forms.

"Yes, it is" Hiashi said simply looking at Chouza.

"And you're okay with that?" asked Shikaku as he lazily walked by.

Hiashi turned to walk away "He's good for her, he will make a fine Hokage one day"

"Hokage?" Chouza asked Shikaku who only shrugged in confusion.

"I don't know everything you know" Shikaku replied as he lazily walked off toward the bar, Chouza and Inochi following close behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Anko.<strong>

Anko was sat in the Hokage's office on the couch quietly, calmly, she watched the door as she sensed the Hokage approach, she remained seated, one leg crossed over the other and her hands laced neatly on her knee. She watched as he entered his office, taking note of her as he closed the door and walked to his desk. He leaned against the oaken desk, crossing his harms over his chest as he looked at Anko.

"I have an idea as to why you're here, Anko" Hiruzen sighed.

"I want to administer the punishment …. and then some" Anko replied calmly.

"Don't lie to me, do you intend to murder him?" Hiruzen asked quietly.

There was a long awkward silence before Anko replied just as calmly as before.

"I would certainly like to, but then I would be lowering myself to his level … no, if you grant me this I promise the boy won't die or suffer long term or detrimental damage to his body or career, but I will make him beg for death, I will cause him excruciating pain, I will leave scars and I will make him suffer mentally" Anko spoke seriously.

Sarutobi sat back in his chair lazily and chewed on his pipe slightly before leaning forward once more, elbows resting on his desk as he took on a thoughtful look. Slowly he began to nod.

"Okay, Anko … I'll allow you this, but under the condition that you don't go too far" Sarutobi spoke seriously, pointing the mouthpiece of his pipe at Anko.

Anko noded before leaving his office, an evil victorious smirk on her face as she did so.

* * *

><p><strong>DONE<strong>

**Right … I know it's late but meh I've been having some personal problems … I'm going to be a dad soon, quite excited.**

**Aaaanyways let me know what you all think. I tried to be funny in this, TRIED! You can judge whether or not I was successful or not. As usual, love to know what you guys think so if you're feeling up to it, drop me a review.**

**Till next time, hope you enjoyed the chapter!.**


	18. Chunin Exams

**Chunin exams.**

Sarutobi was had just finished debriefing all of the jounin and ANBU who had taken part in supressing the Hyuuga during the last couple days. The Hokage had his own son Asuma still overseeing the surveillance of the prestigious clan for the next few days. After all was said and done the Hokage had dismissed all but one ANBU operative.

She stood before Sarutobi's desk, clad in black ANBU gear, the rarely seen veteran Attire of a black ops operative, the Kind of ANBU who is more than just the mask they wear. Usually when an ANBU is killed in action or retires, their mask is passed down to the next candidate, but these black clad ANBU were considered to be legends, so much so that their masks were never passed on.

Her hair was midnight black, long, straight and well kept. Her mask was that of a swallow, its markings a light blue fading into pitch black. She wore the full Black body suit as well as the Pitch black non-reflective plate tactical armour of an elite ANBU.

Sarutobi leaned back in his chair "I see your armour still fits"

"Hai, Hokage-sama" she nodded in reply.

"How are you finding your return to service?" Sarutobi asked.

The ANBU remained quiet though now she had an heir of apprehension about her; she looked to the left slightly.

"You want to surrender your mask don't you?" Sarutobi asked with a broad smile.

"I … I have a duty to my village … but I have missed so much of my girls lives, I've not even met Hanabi yet, I've lost years with my husband and children" she spoke, removing her mask.

"Hien … I don't expect you to continue your service as an ANBU" Hiruzen smiled warmly, holding his hand out for her mask.

She handed over her mask reluctantly "Sarutobi-sama … can you send for my husband?"

"Of course, I'll have a messenger sent at once"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

Explosions rocked the forest of death as Naruto smashed yet another of his clones through a thick branch and landing on the ground with a hard crack. Naruto landed above his clone as it was attempting to climb to its feet, he booted it back to the floor before he drove his wrist blade into its chest and ripping it out with a sickening twist. The clone poofed out of existence and Naruto leapt away, knowing his clones were now going to converge on his position.

He latched onto a tree with his chakra and peeked out to the clearing where four of his clones landed in unison. He watched as each of them nodded to one another before looking around the clearing.

"Heh trying to keep my attention on them whilst the others are attempting to flank me" Naruto said softly to himself before laughing to himself softly. Suddenly the clearing in which the clones where still stood exploded into an inferno of white-hot fire, dying down after a few moments to reveal only scorched earth.

"I know that tactic because it's me that using it … aren't you Naruto" the original spoke as he turned to look at a clone who was staring at him from another tree.

Naruto allowed himself to free fall down the tree, grabbing a branch and swinging away into the bushes and away from the massive fire jutsu his clone had used to try and incinerate him.

The clone dashed through the air toward the original, firing his wrist mounted blades at Naruto, only to have them penetrate a tree as the original leapt down to the forest floor, completing a set of hand seals.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan no jutsu!" He called as he inhaled a deeply, blasting forth a roaring inferno of white hot fire. Naruto cut off his jutsu as he shielded his eyes slightly from the light of the fire. He shuddered as the memories of the clone incinerated within his technique. The memories from that clone were different from the ones that he usually used fire techniques. Usually they burned; usually he remembered exactly how much pain his clones endured before their death.

But this was different, the clone endured so much more, it was unexplainable to him. He tried to think of a word for the memory of his clone's unbearable agony. Naruto leaned against a tree as he stared at the area of devastation before him, the dark scorched earth still crackling and embers still alight with a brightness he had never seen before, the tree's in the blast radius were burning, the burns spread up and around the trunk, their bark splintered and fell away as the embers ate their way into the trees.

"This isn't normal … that wasn't a normal fire jutsu … is this the power the fox was talking about last we spoke?" Naruto pondered as he pushed off of the tree and turned to walk away. He looked back slightly; watching as one of the tree's crumbled and fell, shattering like glass.

* * *

><p><strong>Anko, Hinata and Sakura.<strong>

Anko blocked Hinata's open palm strike but she failed to block Sakura's roundhouse kick to her waist, sending her reeling a few meters back. Anko steadied herself, retaking her serpentine stance and sending a hard glare at her students.

"That was a dirty tactic girls" Anko hissed.

Sakura only gave her a determined smirk as whereas Hinata gave her a blank stare, her Byakugan active and pulsating around her eyes. Hinata suddenly charged in. she jumped, spinning and coming down at Anko with an open palm laced with chakra. She missed as Anko hopped back out of the way but Hinata wasn't about to relent as she dashed forward, striking high and low as Anko did blocked, dodged or deflected each blow. Hinata suddenly stopped, pulling her arms back as Sakura burst forth from the earth below, delivering a devastating kick to Anko's gut, causing the woman to bend forward.

SLAM!

Anko flew back, skidding to a stop before dissolving into thick mud.

Hinata stood over Sakura's crouched form, both palms out stretched.

"Well done girls, you lead my clone to think that Sakura was going to be dealing the killer blow whilst Hinata was the distraction, but I clearly didn't think that the two of you would use such a psychologically developed method of defeating my clone. You lead me into a false sense of security … it won't happen again girls" Anko grinned with pride.

'Heh … guess I owe Naruto an apology … I guess he saw the girls potential when I could not' she thought to herself with pride.

Sakura smiled "we finally beat your clone sensei … you owe us a ninjutsu technique" Sakura proclaimed proudly.

"Then make your requests and I'll see what I can do to help" Anko spoke.

"I want basic medical Ninjutsu, I figured that I have the control for it and it's something I can do to increase the teams life expectancy" Sakura said, arms folded over her chest.

"I don't know any medical jutsu … but I'll see what I can do … Hinata?" Anko turned to her shyest student.

"I would like some water ninjutsu please" she spoke politely, her Byakugan still flaring and pulsating.

"I can do that, give me a few days … also we need to discuss the chunin exams-"

"Were participating" Sakura cut her off.

"All of us, Naruto-kun already t-talked to us about it all" Hinata followed.

"Speaking of fish cake … where is he"

"I'm here …" Came Naruto's voice as he walked into the small clearing "Just finished my own training for the day and I'm going to go get more supplies from the market district … having four more people in my house to feed will do that I guess" he laughed slightly.

"I'll come w-with you?" asked Hinata.

"Sure, let's get going … oh and Anko-sensei … my name is not fish cake"

"Kay, fish cake" Anko grinned evilly.

"We'll be back later" Naruto said before he and Hinata bounded away into the trees.

A moment of silence passed as Anko and Sakura looked in the direction the two disappeared to.

"You know … I hate to admit that I'm a little jealous of them both … they are so strong and talented, both of them were born for greatness … me, I'm just the daughter of simple people leading simple lives, Hinata has the Byakugan and comes from two prestigious bloodlines … and Naruto is the container of the strongest demon in existence … he practically radiates power" Sakura spoke with a sad smile.

"True … but that power is his own, Naruto doesn't use the fox's chakra, I'm almost certain he gets that aura of power from his father … the man was a god amongst men" Anko said sadly as she rested her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"You mean the Yondaime Hokage?" asked Sakura quietly.

Suddenly Sakura was pressed to the floor by Anko "You had better start explaining exactly how you know that!"

Sakura grunted in pain under the pressure now on her body. She suddenly had a Kunai placed beneath her throat, pressed firmly against her windpipe.

"Speak!" Anko hissed dangerously.

"It's obvious if y-you do your research on Jinchuuriki like Naruto … it said that when a jinchuuriki is created that the chosen vessel is usually someone close to whoever seals t-them! I just put two and two together, I swear!" Sakura pleaded helplessly.

Anko was quiet for a moment before removing the kunai from the girl's throat and dragging her up off of the floor and pinning her to a tree "You were selected to be on the team by Naruto himself … I never wanted extra students! It's out of respect for him that you will live beyond this moment Sakura, this conversation … all of it will never be spoken of again, and Naruto's parentage will NEVER be spoken of again, not even with him until I or the Hokage say so! Do you understand?" Anko growled out, her voice dripping with venom.

"Y-yes! I understand!" Sakura stammered out.

Anko let go of her and took a few steps back "I'll do anything to protect Naruto, anything … make no mistake I would gladly kill anyone who tried to hurt him, _anyone!" _Anko hissed at the girl, she then turned to walk away from Sakura.

"Sensei … I'm sorry" Sakura spoke quietly, stopping Anko in her tracks. The woman turned and looked at Sakura.

"Me too … Sakura, just don't speak to Naruto about it … he's not ready for it yet"

* * *

><p><strong>Konoha.<strong>

Naruto and Hinata walked hand in hand through the market district, earning looks of disbelief, worry and even downright hatred from the general public they came across. Hinata to her credit didn't pay the glares or whispers any attention as she wrapped her free arm around Naruto's. Naruto smiled and gave her hand a slight squeeze as they walked toward their usual weapons shop to replenish their stocks.

It was at this moment that something tackled Naruto from the side, not with much force but just enough to make him stumble slightly. Naruto looked down to find a familiar little girl smiling up at him devilishly, her hair was slightly dishevelled, likely from running riot through the village.

"Hey Hanabi-chan … does your father know you're out here on your own" asked Naruto as Hinata turned to see her sister.

"Father will be furious if he finds out your out here on your own" Hinata scolded her sister to which Hanabi just grinned wider.

"Ko was with me but he's boring and old, I saw you two walking around town with my Byakugan and ditched Ko to come here with you" Hanabi chatted animatedly as she brushed some of the dust off of her clothes.

Naruto looked to Hinata in confusion as to what to do in this situation. Hanabi just grinned madly up at him before she suddenly looked like she had remembered something important.

"Oh! Oh! Oh! Father and mother would like you both at the compound tonight for dinner … Hina-neechan you've been gone a lot lately … if it true what I heard mother saying? Do you sleep with Naruto?" Hanabi asked quizzically.

"I … w-what NO! … i-I mean I s-sleep at Naruto-kuns h-house b-but we don't s-sh-share a bed or a-anything!" Hinata defended quickly in shock. Naruto didn't quite know what to make of it. One thing was for certain, neither had blushed so fiercely in their lives.

"Oh" Hanabi quickly looked around herself after activating her Byakugan and dashed away from them "Don't tell Ko where I'm going!" she called after them.

Both teens blinked and watched Hanabi disappear quickly just as a Hyuuga guard landed in front of them and smiled before he shot off after Hanabi, his Byakugan obviously tracking her movements. Both Naruto and Hinata shook their heads in confusion before walking onward through the market district.

"Hey! Hinata! Naruto!" a voice called out from behind them.

Both turned to find team ten walking toward them, Ino at the front of their group with Shikamaru and Chouji trailing not too far behind with their sensei Sarutobi Asuma. Asuma smiled, a cigarette hanging from his lips loosely as he held a hand up in greeting to the blonde.

"It's good to see you Asuma, you're well I hope, and how is konohamaru?" Naruto greeted politely with a broad smile.

"Myself and konohamaru are doing very well thank you Naruto and I don't even need to ask … Kakashi told me about the mission to wave and Anko hasn't stopped bragging about her students since then, a Fight with Momochi Zabuza … not bad at all kid" Asuma complemented with a smile.

"Wait … Zabuza as in the demon of the bloody mist?" asked Shikamaru in slight shock.

"He was a worthy adversary and a true Shinobi" Naruto said a bit downcast.

"I also heard that you found your mother on that mission Hinata-chan … the village is buzzing with the news of Hien-sama's return to the leaf" Ino spoke to the heiress.

"Yes, life in the compound has changed drastically since mother has returned" Hinata smiled, squeezing Naruto's arm slightly.

"Troublesome, so when exactly did you two become an Item?" asked Shikamaru, his hands in his pockets and looking bored.

"On the wave mission, Naruto-kun s-spoke of a girl he l-liked and I … I g-got jealous and w-we had an argument. As it turns o-out he has fallen for m-me just as hard I have fallen f-for him" Hinata blushed as she spoke.

"I'm happy for you both, but is Hiashi-sama okay with all this?" asked Ino, knowing the Hyuuga clan head could be extremely strict.

"Hiashi-sama seems rather pleased by it actually … I'm not sure why but I'm not going to question it" Naruto replied with a confused smile.

"So where are you going?" asked Chouji between eating his potato chips.

"Just some general food shopping" Naruto said with a shrug.

"Were going for barbeque … would you like to join us?" asked Asuma.

Naruto looked to Hinata who smiled and Nodded. Naruto looked back at Asuma with a smile and nodded "we would love to join you"

"Hey where's Sakura?" asked Ino with slight confusion.

"She's either still training with Anko-sensei or she's hanging out with Kiba and Akamaru" Hinata answered.

"Are you guys entering the Chunin exams?" asked Shikamaru curiously as the group walked on toward the barbeque house.

"Yes, we all aim to become Chunin together" said Hinata whilst holding on to Naruto's arm a little tighter.

"It's troublesome but were entering too" said Shikamaru just before being punched in the back of the head by an Irate Ino.

"Do you have to be so negative all the time?" she hissed at him.

Naruto blinked at the display of violence and looked to Shikamaru with a look of sympathy.

Over the next two weeks team seven trained together as usual in the mornings then went off to do personal training through the afternoon, Hinata was now training with her Mother, Father and Haku and Sakura had taken to training under Anko whilst Naruto had gone off onto his own to perfect his own ninja arts. It was during this time that Naruto ran into someone he did not expect to meet.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback.<strong>

Naruto walked through Konoha's market district, looking for Asuma to ask about wind manipulation after being pointed in the right direction by Kakashi in a passing conversation yesterday. Naruto wandered by the public hot springs when he noticed someone crouched by the fence, no doubt peeping. He frowned slightly, knowing that someone he knew might well be using the baths right now and this lecherous perv was watching them for his own perverted jollies.

Naruto quickly changed direction and walked up behind the now giggling man, taking note of the notepad in his hand and the large scroll on his back.

"Excuse me, but you had better have an explanation for this indecent behaviour" Naruto spoke from behind with a hint of anger in his voice. He hated those that took advantage of others for their own gains.

The man stopped giggling and turned his head halfway around to show a lone eye with red tear tattoos marking his cheeks. The man snorted slightly and turned back to his peeping hold, writing furiously in his notebook.

"Scram kid, I'm researching" the man spoke sharply.

"What sort of pervert justifies what you're doing as research!?" Naruto demanded furiously.

The man spun around with a sigh, his long spikey white hair whipping around behind him "look kid this is where women come to get naked and gossip with each other about the dirty nasty things they get up to with their boyfriends and husbands" the man reached into his red jacket and produced a little orange book.

"I am Jariya of the Sannin, world famous author of the Icha Icha adult series … Here" He tossed the book to Naruto who caught it with one hand, never letting his eyes pull away from the pervert.

"That's an autographed rare edition with extra content … now scram!" Jariya said as he went to turn back to his peeping hole.

Naruto's hand tightened around the book unconsciously as he stared at Jariya's back then he got an idea and walked away with an evil smirk, putting the book into his equipment pouch as he finished formulating his plan.

Jariya snorted as he sensed the boy leave he then looked into the peephole to see a beautiful blonde girl in a tight fitting almost see through Kimono, undoing the sash to get naked. Jariya took note of her shapely figure, furiously scratching down ideas into his notebook as she turned toward his direction. His eye trailed up her body until it came to her face, opening wide as he realised she was staring right at him with a devilish smirk before poofing out of existence. Jariya felt himself obscured by smoke for a brief second. He waved the smoke away to find himself stood in the middle of the hot springs surrounded by enraged woman giving off a thick aura of hatred and anger.

The screams could be heard for miles and Naruto just laughed as his plan came to fruition. Afterwards Jariya had tracked him down and had even congratulated him for getting one over on him and as an apology he had agreed to tutor Naruto for the upcoming Chunin exams.

* * *

><p><strong>Present. <strong>

Naruto Hinata and Sakura walked toward the academy, today was the start of the chunin selection exam and the entire village was abuzz with anticipation, excitement and foreign ninja from all over the elemental nations. They walked into the building and up to the second floor, they stopped at the end of the corridor, away from the rest of the crowd gathered at room 301.

"All these other doors are in the two hundreds … I smell Genjutsu … Hinata could you check with your eyes?" asked Sakura suspiciously.

With a nod Hinata activated her doujutsu and sighed with a nod "it's a Genjutsu, most likely to deter the weaker candidates from getting into the exam" she said quietly.

"Well then … let's not decrease our chances of success, let's go out the window and get to the third floor to the real room 301" Naruto said as he opened a window and ushered his team mates out whilst creating a shadow clone. The original then jumped out of the window, leaving the clone to close the window and dispel.

On a roof not far from the Academy two figures stood on the roof watching them.

"I have to admit they are very perceptive and the blonde clearly has experience enough to have used infiltration before, covering up their escape route like that … are you sure this team even needs to take the Chunin exam?" asked Jariya, looking to his friend and sensei, Sarutobi.

"Hinata is definitely very low chunin, Sakura is a high Genin but Naruto has the skills of a jounin but the experience of a mid Chunin … I would have given them all a field promotion after their wave mission but …" Sarutobi trailed off.

"Go on" Jariya pushed.

"Naruto declined the promotions for himself and his team, saying it wouldn't be fair to the other teams and that they all needed more experience … he said he wanted his team to experience the chunin exams to try and achieve the next rank" Sarutobi stated with pride.

"Kid knows his shit" Jariya commented with a raised eyebrow.

"So will you take him on as an apprentice?" asked Sarutobi.

"Not at the moment, I'm following leads on an organisation interested in the tailed beasts … I need more information" Jariya said before turning and walking away.

Sarutobi watched as Naruto ushered his team mates through a window on the third floor before looking around and disappearing inside the building himself. Sarutobi left back to his office with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so I'm finally done and this chapter introduces the chunin exam arc. I had writers block for this chapter and had to re-write it several times before I was happy with it. Anyways let me know what you think.<strong>

**Also I'm going to be posting a new story sometime within the next week or two. Im not revealing anything but it will be issuing a challenge to other writers!**


	19. Chunin Exams Begin!

**Chunin Exams Begin!**

The Exam room was truly a sight to behold, it had all three of team Anko on edge, the entire room filled with foreign ninja, allies, and neutrals and soon enough all of them, every single last one of them would become hostiles in this exam to become chunin. All three made sure to keep to themselves and keep a low profile, last thing they needed was an army of Genin out for their blood.

Naruto lead the girls over to a quiet corner of the room and all three took a knee.

"Remember; don't make eye contact … if who I think is leading the first test then we should see a significant drop in teams passing on the next stage, at least by half … that means we will be dealing with the smartest and sneakiest candidates in the second exam" Naruto spoke, reciting what information he had been able to acquire from Kakashi.

"What do we do in the second exam?" asked Sakura.

"We don't hesitate to kill, because I can guarantee they won't give us any quarter, so long as were a threat they will try to kill us, it's the same for us" Naruto said without remorse.

"Other leaf shinobi?" asked Hinata as sent a glance and nod in the direction of team ten who had just entered the room with team seven.

"Allies, we help them, within reason … if that isn't an option then we incapacitate, I won't be responsible for leaf deaths" Naruto shook his head.

"The Uchiha?" asked Sakura with a raised eyebrow to which Naruto nodded once.

"Him we can kill, if the right circumstance presents itself" Naruto spoke seriously and without regret, as if the answer to the question should have been obvious.

"That's fine with us" Sakura mumbled, Hinata nodding her agreement.

"Hey Sakura, Hinata" Ino came bounding over, dragging Shikamaru and Chouji along with her.

All three members of team Anko deadpanned, so much for low profile when Ino was around, the three stood, and turning to Ino, both Sakura and Hinata waved in greeting.

"I knew we'd see you here, all the jounin are betting on whose teams will make it to the second round and they are even already making bets on who's going to win the tournament" Ino spoke excitedly.

"r-really?" asked Hinata in mild surprise.

"You already knew about that didn't you Naruto-san?" asked Shikamaru with a sneaky smirk.

"Who do you think set it all up, I have a bet on my team to make it to the second round" Naruto smirked as he rubbed his neck.

"I heard the Hokage put a rather large sum on the person he thinks will be the tournament winner" Chouji munched through a mouthful of chips.

Naruto frowned slightly "who'd he bet on? Do you know?"

"He bet on you" Shikamaru spoke tiredly before yawning.

Naruto laughed slightly, how could he have not seen that coming? After all, the old man had taken a deep interest in his training and knew what he was capable of.

Naruto just smirked "A sound investment if you ask me" he laughed lightly.

Hinata just smiled and shook her head while Sakura actually nodded with her own smile.

"Have you seen the Uchiha anywhere?" Naruto asked seriously.

"Down stairs with some weird kid in green spandex" Came another voice from behind the group.

All turned to see Kiba and Shino arrive and greet everyone.

Kiba turned to Naruto and smiled "Sasuke's got eyes on you during this exam, claims he's going to … what was it he said again, Shino?" Kiba asked Shino with a smirk.

Shino pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose as he spoke "Rip off Naruto-sans Genitals with his bare hands and then kill him slowly whilst Hinata-san watches" He recited word for word.

Naruto only laughed quietly whilst shaking his head; surprisingly it was Hinata that spoke up, surprising everyone with her comment.

"If he so much a brushes up against Naruto-kun … I'll kill him myself, Uchiha bloodline be damned!" she spat out with a slight glare.

Everyone silently stared at Hinata's scowling form for a moment until Ino broke the silence.

"It seems you do have your fathers mean streak after all" she squeaked.

A new voice emerged behind the Genin as it closed in on them "hey, you kids might want to try and make yourselves less noticeable, can tell you're all rookies of this exam"

Naruto turned his head and took the older boys appearance in, grey-silver hair pulled back into a tight low ponytail, large round glasses and a condescending smirk plastered across his face.

"And you are?" the blonde asked.

"Yakushi Kabuto … a veteran of this exam, so trust when I tell you … don't draw attention to yourselves" the still present smirk on the face of the now identified Kabuto. He stepped closer to the group.

"No need to ask your name … Uzumaki Naruto, you've made a name for yourself throughout the village" the boy mused.

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly toward the older boy "Did you want something Kabuto-san?" he asked, though it clearly was not an invitation to stay.

"Oh I just thought I'd impart some of the knowledge of the exam onto the newbies … you never know, might save your life" Kabuto smirked, trying to fake a friendly smile as he retrieved a deck of cards from the inside pocket of his torso wraps, "I have these you see, each card has any and all information I have gathered over my seven attempts at this examination. I'm sure at least one of you would like some form of information?" Kabuto chuckled to himself as he pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose.

Sasuke pushed forward "I want all the information you have on Rock lee, Gaara and Uzumaki Naruto" he demanded as the other rookies looked at him in slight shock.

"Aw that's not even a challenge if you know their names" Kabuto chuckled as he drew three cards from his deck, charging chakra into all three of them, he lay down the first card.

"Rock Lee, Genin, Jounin sensei is Might Gai, teammates are Tenten Higurashi and Hyuga Neji … this kid is a Taijutsu freak, no discernable skills elsewhere, his team have a considerable amount of C and D ranks beneath their belts and his team mate, Neji was rookie of the year last year" Kabuto mused, reading out the cards contents.

Sasuke snorted to himself and gave a nod for the next card.

"next is Subaku no Gara … His teammates are his siblings Temari and Kankuro, my information on his skills is near non-existent … though he has a few B,C,D and even an A-rank under his belt … no known skills but he's never been injured on a mission" Kabuto frowned at that last part.

Sasuke clicked his tongue and glared in Gara's general direction. He looked down at Kabuto and snorted "And?"

"And last … Uzumaki Naruto-" Kabuto started to read before he leapt back a few steps as his information card was incinerated courtesy of Naruto's low level Katon Jutsu. Kabuto looked at the younger boy to find the blonde giving him a subtle glare.

"You must be fucking Insane if you think I'm about to allow you to divulge my personal information" Naruto spat as he advanced on the older body slowly, reaching for one of his Wakizashi at his hip.

"I meant no offence Naruto-san" Kabuto looked up at the blonde with a fake smile.

"Wipe that smirk off your face … your charms may work on him" Naruto nudged his head toward Sasuke who glared in response "But not me, now piss off before I run you through" Naruto glared, releasing a formidable amount of killing intent and bloodlust toward the older boy.

Kabuto got on his feet, still smiling "I was merely trying to give you rookies some information to help you survive this test … that's all" He said before walking back to his own team.

* * *

><p><strong>Across the room.<strong>

"He seems dangerous … I like him" spoke a boy with shoulder length black hair, a kirigakure Hitai-ate hung loosely around his neck.

Not a moment later did the room erupt in grey smoke, catching all of the Genin off guard, emerging front and centre stood a man in a long black trench coat with a grey jumpsuit beneath it, a Konoha hitai-ate bandana covered the top of his head, his face was adorned in ugly rough scars reaching across his face and retreating under his bandana. His facial expression could be described as contemptuous, his eyes scanning the fresh meat before him. In the same way a hawk would lock onto its prey long before said prey knew what was going on.

"Shut up! All of you, there is a chart on the wall with your seat number, anyone not sat down in their designated place within the next minute will be automatically disqualified!" spoke the man, his voice angry and sharp.

"You can't do that we have rights!" spoke a Genin from amegakure.

The man pointed at the Genin, his face contorting to one of rage "You and your team, disqualified, leave!"

All the other Genin rushed to the board, getting their seat number and getting to their seats as quick as possible. Naruto quickly found his seat followed by Hinata who was coincidentally sat next to him, they both just smirked. Whoever had drawn up the seating plan was an idiot.

"Right listen up, my name is Morino Ibiki … the proctor for the first test, I shall now explain the rules of this exam so listen carefully as I will not repeat myself!"

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere.<strong>

"I'll put two thousand Ryo on team eleven!"

"I second that bet, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio is a tried and tested formation!"

"No way, team seven has the last Uchiha; I'm putting two five hundred on them!"

"Yes but team nine has last year's rookie with double the experience of the Uchiha, two thousand on team nine for me !"

This was the sound that greeted Anko, Kakashi and Kurenai as they entered the jounin lounge. Anko smirked and reached into her inner pocket, walking up to the betting table.

She retrieved a roll of bills and tossed it onto the table "Fifteen thousand on team 13 … my own team" she stated cockily.

Genma looked up at the Anko from the table, senbon between his lips as he gave her a cheeky grin … You're seriously going to bet that kind of money on a rookie team?"

"Yes I am, Genma, are you going to record the bet or what? You seem to be running the books here" Anko crossed her arms over her chest, the entire room quiet as they watched the conversation unfold.

"Anko … fifteen thousand is a lot of money, are you sure about this?" Genma asked seriously.

Anko glared "Just take the damn bet, other people are waiting to lose their money to me!"

Genma simply shrugged and wrote up Anko's ticket and handed it to her.

For the next few minutes, more and more jounin and even a few of the best known chunin of the village had made bets.

Genma was busy writing up a ticket when someone dropped a huge wad of cash on the table "Fifty thousand Ryo on team 13"

Genma looked at the huge wad of cash up to Hiashi Hyuga who stared back at him.

Genma shakily wrote out the ticket and held it up to the Hyuga patriarch who accepted it and strode out of the room in silence.

"We're fucked"

* * *

><p><strong>Exam room.<strong>

"You, leave and take your team-mates with you!" Ibiki pointed at a Kumo Genin who huffed and stormed out of the room arguing with his team.

Naruto sat back in his seat, hands behind his head and feet up on the desk as he watched the clock tick away the seconds.

Hinata decided to fill in her sheet using her Byakugan to gather the answers from Sakura who had been filling the sheet in from sheer boredom and book smarts. She looked over to Naruto worriedly as he had yet to move at all.

After a few more minutes Ibiki had locked his eyes on the care free blonde "New Rule! Listen up!" this got the entire rooms attention; he stared directly at Naruto who barely lifted an eyelid to regard him with a look of slight annoyance.

"Your team cannot pass this portion of the test without each individual answering at least five of the nine questions on the paper … any questions? No? Go-"

"Just to clarify, we have to answer 5 of the questions and you also said that if we were caught cheating three times, then that persons team would be disqualified … am I correct?" Naruto interrupted as he stood.

Ibiki growled slightly at the blonde's abrupt interruption but none the less he would answer the boy's question.

"Yes, that is correct"

Naruto nodded for a moment as if in deep thought then looked down to the Amegakure genin that was sat on his right. With lightning fast speed and force, Naruto grasped a handful of the other boy's hair, pulling his head back and then thrashing it forward and down into the wooden desk, effectively knocking him out cold.

The entire room watched with wide eyes as Naruto took the other boys paper, scribbled his name out and signed his own, he then proceeded to fold the paper up into origami crane and threw it gently to Ibiki.

"_I_ have answered six of the nine questions on that paper and have decided to submit it early" Naruto smiled as he sat back down.

Ibiki caught the paper crane, looking between it and Naruto before muttering "Crafty little shit just used my own rules against me …" he looked back up to see Naruto give him a sly smile as the blonde relaxed back into the position he had been in beforehand.

"Alright pencils down! Time for the tenth question" Ibiki spoke loudly gaining the attention of the room.

"But first you must choose whether or not you will risk taking the question, if you answer the tenth question incorrectly then you will never again be eligible to qualify for the rank of chunin" Ibiki spoke, inwardly smirking as more and more of the Genin started to stare back at him.

"You can't do that!" a blonde kunoichi from Suna shouted.

"This is my exam and my rules, it's just unfortunate for you that I was proctor this year" Ibiki shrugged indifferently.

Soon enough teams started to get up and leave one by one.

"Is that it? No one else want to pack it in and try again in six months?" Ibiki asked, scanning the room with his eyes.

A few more teams got up and left.

Naruto could feel Hinata's gaze as if she were looking for reassurance from him, he turned his head toward her slightly and let the corner of his lip curl upward slightly and then gently took her hand under the table, giving it a gently squeeze.

After a moment of silence Ibiki spoke once more "Congratulations, you all pass"

* * *

><p><strong>Hokage's Office<strong>

Sarutobi was sat at his desk, laughing like he hadn't laughed in a decade, wiping tears from his eyes as he and several of his top jounin and Chunin had watched the first portion of the exam through his crystal ball.

"Did her seriously just do that?" Kakashi sweat dropped.

"That kid just twisted Ibiki's own rules to win … troublesome … I wonder if he plays shogi?" Shikaku spoke to Chouza

"Ibiki is so going to be royally pissed later" Izumo said with a shiver as Kotetsu visibly cringed.

"I think Naruto-kun may have just secured his rank, eh? Kurenai-chan?" asked Asuma.

Kurenai simply stared at the crystal ball dumbfounded, then to the laughing Hokage then back to Asuma and nodded dumbly.

* * *

><p><strong>Exam room.<strong>

Those who had passed had started filing out of the exam room after the second proctor had introduced herself and given them an hour to prepare before the second exam began at training ground forty-four.

Naruto waited with Hinata for Sakura outside her house so that she could collect any last minute supplies.

"Naruto-kun …"

"Yes? Hinata-hime?"

"I was thinking … we have a h-home field advantage in the f-forest, we train in there, we know where t-the other teams will go to find w-water and f-food" Hinata spoke as she looked up at the sky.

Naruto's curiosity was now piqued; he looked directly at his girlfriend as she looked down to lock eyes with him "Yes hime?"

"We also know where about in the forest we should seldom wander … think of how another team who have no knowledge of the creatures or the geography within, we have an unlimited potential to wipe out a lot of the competition" she smiled, an evil glint in her eye.

Naruto smiled "Why expend our energy fighting when we can let the forest do it for us? I like that plan, I like it a lot!"

"That's all well and good but we still need to be prepared for an aggressive assault" Sakura said as she dropped down from an upstairs window.

"Personally I'm up for a good fight, I haven't had a good scrap since wave country" Naruto grinned, his hands behind his head as the team walked quickly to the Hyuga estate so Hinata could pick up any equipment she needed. As for Naruto … he always carried what he needed wherever he went.

Once they all had what they needed they walked toward training ground forty-four as they played off possible scenarios they may face in the forest. Anko was in mid speech about the rules when they arrived; she gave her team a slight glare mid-sentence but otherwise continued, holding up two scrolls.

"One heaven, one earth, each team will only get one of either scroll … do whatever you have to, to get a scroll! You will be needing one of each to pass this test, you have five days to get your scrolls and get to the central tower in the centre of the forest with all three of your team alive, if a team member dies you cannot advance to the third exam … I have papers for everyone to sign that releases Konoha of any responsibility should you die in this exam, if you don't sign, you don't enter, simple as that" she spoke loud and clearly as she started handing out the release forms to each team.

Naruto took the sheets from Anko and handed one each to his team mates to sign "There are twenty-six teams entering the forest with us … from this point on, everyone is a potential enemy, we should treat them as such"

"We can trust Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji … I'll vouch for them myself, they said if we need allies during the exams then we could rely on them" Sakura stated quietly.

"Are you sure that is wise?" asked Naruto sceptically.

"Naruto-kun, Sa-Sakura is right, we c-can trust them" Hinata spoke up.

"If you both trust them, then there's no reason why I shouldn't" Naruto smiled slightly.

"Okay everyone listen up!" Anko announced, getting everyone's attention, she pointed to a small curtained booth "Take your release forms there and exchange them for your scroll, I advise you not to advertise what you have to the other teams, you will also be told what gate your team will be assigned to, once you have your scroll, make your way to your assigned entrance! Also I have been told to point out that there is a residential area within the forest, under no circumstances are you to trespass on this property for any reason, no exceptions, There is an ANBU on guard that will kill perpetrators on sight!" she spoke loudly, her speech over and done with, Naruto walked up to her "Anything to tell us before we enter"

"Don't die" Anko shrugged and moved to walk away leaving her team to sweat drop at her words.

"Oh!" Anko half turned back to her team, getting their attention once more "watch out for the team from Kusagakure … they're trouble"

All three gave a firm nod before making their way to the booth to collect their scroll before making their way to their assigned gate.

Anko watched her team go with a slight look of worry "Oh who am I kidding, they won't even flinch in there … now then, I think it's about dango o'clock!"

* * *

><p><strong>Gate.<strong>

Team Anko stood at their assigned gate, waiting for the exam to start, each one silently checking over their gear and weapons, Hinata and Sakura had their usual black outfits complete with the black ANBU flak jackets and had both elected to tie their hair back into ponytails.

Naruto unravelled a small scroll, he pressed his palm to the scroll and with a poof of smoke he revealed two wrist guards, he took off his usual wrist blades and resealed them into the scroll, he then picked them up the new ones and strapped them on tight before charging them with his chakra, extending the blue-ish metal blades, two per arm from the bracers. He charged the blades with his chakra, igniting them in a sheath of razor sharp chakra; he cut off his chakra and retracted the blades.

"I've waited a while to bring these out and play" he said quietly, gaining the two girls attention.

"You've upgraded?" asked Sakura curiously.

Naruto nodded, before kneeling down and removing both his Wakizashi, he unravelled the scroll further to reveal another seal, and pressed his palm to the scroll and pulled out a single four foot long, Chokuto. The sheath and handle was pitch black with a single white swirling flame pattern on the sheath, he strapped it to his back securely, the hilt of the blade at his left shoulder for ease of access.

"T-that's new too" Hinata commented as she strapped a medium sized medical pack to her back.

"Yup, and you two get these, I won't be needing them anymore" he spoke, handing the girls a Wakizashi each.

"Are you sure? These look expensive, Naruto" Sakura spoke, pulling the blade from its sheath to view the steel blade within; she closed it again, looking at her blonde team mate.

"Yes, I'm positive" He answered, rolling the scroll back up and storing it in a utility pouch.

"N-Naruto-kun … we never got you a-anything" Hinata spoke, a little crest fallen. She felt bad that Naruto always gave her and Sakura some of the most expensive equipment money could buy.

"Just survive this test and we will call it even, Hime … your father wants to speak with both of us after the exam … he would say why but it's got me curious" Naruto smiled.

"I'll buy you bowls of Ramen once we're done here" Sakura smiled with determination as she turned and faced the gate.

Naruto smirked as he too faced the gate with Hinata "Deal"

The Gates swung open with the alarm and red light above blurring into life, at once seventy five people threw themselves through their respective gates with reckless abandon … only three walked past the thresh hold, the gates locking back up after them.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors notes.<strong>

**My sincerest apologies to anyone who has waited for this, I think you all deserve to know why.**

**Good news! I'm a daddy to a 3 month old baby girl named Sophie. The bad part is her mother and I separated a couple of months before her birth and I'm being denied access by the mother, I've not seen my little girl at all yet. What my family can't understand is how I can't bring myself to Hate my Ex, not even be upset with her, I love that girl in a way I never thought was real, you can't just switch that off no matter how much you try.**

**The whole break up was a horrible ordeal for me, especially knowing that it was my fault and that it could have been prevented, I'm not going to lie. I have cried more in these past six months than I have in my entire life. I wouldn't wish this pain upon anyone. I also have to admit that the entire situation almost destroyed me, but its time I move forward with my life, get a half decent job, get access to my daughter … everything else is on a back burner at the moment.**

**Hopefully I can give you all another chapter very soon, 3-5 weeks, I'll most likely be fighting a court case soon, so expect delays but I will do my best for you all.**

**Overall my heart wasn't in it during this chapter, suddenly writing romance is bittersweet as my inspiration tore my heart out. So I'm sorry about that.**

**Anyway, until next time,**

**Kirikage**


	20. The Forest Of Death

**Firstly I'd like to apologize to the people who followed this story since its inception, I have neglected the story and as such many of you may be disappointed and pissed off with me. But I have a long overdue chapter and personally, I think it's one of the best so far. I am slightly out of practice, having not written creatively for two years but hopefully I can restart the flow of this story for you all. So I'll shut up now and let you read.**

**The Forest of death.**

Naruto, Hinata and Sakura leapt from tree to tree, staying where the light filtering through the leafy canopy didn't touch, Naruto suddenly stopped on a very wide branch and knelt down, his two team-mates joining him either side.

"What is it?" Sakura asked in a whisper, her emerald eyes scanning the treeline in front of them.

Naruto held up his hand flat and then nodded straight ahead of them "Three, heading west across our current path, hopefully they should pass by us"

"We're not attacking?" asked Sakura quietly with a tone of surprise.

"Not yet, we can't afford to leap blindly into fights, were probably the most advanced team from Konoha here, but we know nothing of these foreign ninja, some of them could have years of experience on us" Naruto whispered back.

"What good is being a Chunin if you're dead or crippled?" Hinata whispered softly.

"Exactly"

They waited a few more moments before they silently started to move ahead, further into the ever darkening forest.

It was another fifteen minutes before the three stopped, a low whistling noise carried by the air caught their attention as a slight breeze picked up all around them.

"This is a Massive Futon jutsu … BRACE YOURSELVES!" Naruto shouted as the immense pressure of wind blasted through the forest, Sakura was with first to be blown away followed shortly by Hinata and Finally Naruto lost his grip and was thrown back down through the forest.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Hinata.<strong>

'Ugh my head' Hinata woke slowly, rubbing her head, she slowly surveyed her surroundings to find herself alone, she looked up at the fading sunset and slowly got to her feet.

"I'm alone … that's not good" She muttered to herself as she brushed herself down.

"Not for you princess … but for us, it's quite a convenience … but I must say you are a pretty little thing"

Turning Hinata looked up to find three Boys staring down at her with predatory grins; she looked over their attire to find they were from kirigakure. She let her hand rest on the hilt of the Wakizashi Naruto had gifted her.

"We were hoping to fight that Blonde guy … but your blood will have to satisfy us for now" Spoke the one in the centre, he wore a blue long sleeved shirt with basic armour covering his hands and forearms, he wore black combat styled pants with a single shuriken holster on his left thigh, his Kirigakure headband was tied over his shoulder like a sash.

"She's a Hyuga … look at those eyes, disgusting" spoke the Genin to the left, he wore a grey camouflage jumpsuit with several belts carrying what Hinata guessed as bottles of water, His Hitai-ate hung around his waist like a belt.

The third just seemed to stare at Hinata with a Natural predator's instinct, like the way a cat would watch a mouse, he wore a dark blue sleeveless shirt and dark blue combat styled pants to match with his shuriken holster on his right thigh. Upon his back was a large cleaver styled blade.

"Oh Kami I hope she gives us a good hunt! I like it when they cry"

Hinata felt a fear start to set in, the same fear that had been with her in the back of her mind since her attempted kidnaping. She felt a shiver slowly crawl up her spine.

'In my current condition I would only last several minutes before they wear me down' Hinata thought to herself as she reached from the hilt of the Wakizashi to her utility pouch.

"Let's let her run a bit! I want to feel the same satisfaction of the hunt, I want to feel that same rush again, just like last time!"

Hinata withdrew three kunai, sending them sailing through the air at lightning fast speed as she leapt back away from the kiri-nin, the middle Kunai exploded into a huge cloud of white smoke whilst the other two detonated into explosions. Hinata though had not stayed to watch, she was already dashing through the forest as fast as possible to get some distance using her natural flexibility to dance around and over every obstacle in her way.

"Argh that little bitch!"

"We let our guard down, it won't happen again! Kozuki, find her!" the boy in the centre spoke as he looked to his right.

The boy nodded and weaved three hand signs "Ninpo: Kirigakure Kankaku no jutsu"

Hinata stopped, hiding behind a tree to catch her breath, that wind jutsu had sent her for a rough fall and she was sure she had some nasty bruises under all her clothes, she steadied her breathing for a moment and rubbed her temples in an attempt to relieve herself of the growing pain building behind her eyes. She sighed, wondering if she had given the Kiri team the slip, weather Naruto and Sakura were okay.

Without warning the tree she was using for support threw her forward as it exploded in a shower of water and splinters. She felt like her body was on fire but she had little time to think as she forced herself to her feet and ran as fast as she could through the trees, it was only then that she noticed the thick mist now rolling throughout the forest.

Trees around her began to explode in showers of water and wood splinters, leaping over a log only to find herself now sliding down a muddy slope, she dropped off the end and landed hard on her back, opening her eyes she scrambled back, she pressed her body against the mud slicked vines and dead branches underneath the slope she had so gracefully traversed down to find a hollow opening under the decaying vines and leaves, she squeezed herself in quickly and threw herself down onto the cold earthy floor with a dull thud, she immediately began to control her breathing to calm herself as she clutched her arm as a sudden pain began to throb, she could feel a wet warmth, slightly sticky and what she guessed was wood sticking out of her arm just above her elbow.

Two thuds sounded directly above her followed by an angered voice.

"I told you not to use the water bullets! We'll catch her with the water whip technique you fucking moron!" she heard from above her.

"I'm excited, I can't help it!"

"Then leave it until we're done with her, then you can use your most destructive technique to tear her limb from limb as you please … spread out and find her, before her blonde team mate does!"

She heard the other boy grunt and they both leapt off in different directions leaving her alone for now, she activated her Byakugan and immediately inspected her wound, the large wooden splinter was embedded an inch into her arm and only seven millimetres away from an artery, that splinter had to come out lest she risk the wound becoming septic and potentially losing her arm completely.

She reached up to her arm, taking a firm grip of the blood soaked spike and took a deep breath; she tore it out of her arm with a squeak of pain. She would not allow herself the satisfaction of a pain filled cry, not with the mist team looking for her. She reached around to her first aid kit and retrieved a pair of surgical forceps. She looked at her arm and clenched her teeth soundlessly as she plunged the forceps into the jagged tear in her arm to retrieve the last fragments of wood.

After pulling out the last splint she sighed in relief and replaced the forceps in her kit, pulling out a sealed vial of liquid, her home made healing salve and a clean bandage. She bit the stopper off of the vial and poured the liquid into and around the wound on her arm, eliciting silent tears as she bit down on her bottom lip from the burning sensation so as not to make a sound. Once the pain had died down to a dull numbness she applied a thick layer of her healing salve to act as a barrier against infection before finally applying the bandages.

'Ouch' she sat there for a moment, taking the time to swallow a blood pill and drink from her canteen 'At least it's only cosmetic damage, a few more millimetres and I'd be dead' she thought to herself with a silent sigh, replacing her canteen in her utility pouch.

She leant back against the dirt and roots, it was then her Byakugan began to become fuzzy, she sighed and deactivated her doujutsu.

"I hate this Jutsu" she muttered quietly as the mist began to form thickly throughout the area.

It was then she heard two thuds land above her again "Anything?"

"Not yet, but as soon as she displaces the water particles from the kirigakure no jutsu it shouldn't be too hard to get a lock on her whereabouts. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to use my technique to cover her escape"

"We're not dealing with our usual prey, this one is smart, knows she can't face all three of us at once" spoke the other boy

"Let's find Shiro, if he finds her first there won't be enough left for a decent grope"

Hinata remained still as she thought about her options 'I need to move, otherwise I'm backed into a corner, but what can I use to cause a diversion? Come on … think Hinata, what would Naruto-kun do?'

A few seconds of deep thought went by until she blinked and a smile formed on her face "Oh how silly of me … these idiot turned this forest into my playground without me realising it … okay let's hope this works" she muttered amusedly to herself, drawing six Kunai from her utility pouch.

"Stop! Got her! Follow me, both of you" one of the Kiri Genin spoke as he turned and lead His team toward Hinata at full speed, it took them only two minutes to catch up to and surround Hinata.

"I didn't think you would home in on me so quickly" Hinata glared as she sent her six kunai sailing through the air in quick succession, each of the boys dodged the blades with ease and laughed at her failed defence.

"You gave us our best chase yet, but we want to experience the fruits of our labour now" Spoke the boy who had stood in the centre of the group when they first appeared, the leader, Hinata guessed. The boy drew a curve bladed Kunai as he stepped forward.

Hinata drew her Wakizashi and took up a defensive stance, slowly all three boys closed in on her from every side, she spun on her heel quickly, aiming to sever their sensor's throat with the tip of the blade, the tip caught the boys chin instead as Hinata was dragged back by her hair and threw her to the ground, his team mates quickly grabbing one of her arms each and dragging her to kneel before their leader.

"I will be extra rough for that … all he has is his rugged good looks" The Kiri genin laughed along with his team mates. He stepped forward, grasping Hinata's throat roughly, forcing her to look up at him. He hooked the tip of his curved blade beneath her flak jacket and slowly started to cut through the tough fabric. She struggled against his grip. Hinata charged Chakra to her legs and managed to leap upward slightly, allowing her to strike the Kiri nin in the jaw with the heel of her Sandals with just enough force to send him reeling to the ground.

"You okay Kuroma?" asked Shiro.

"That fucking hurt!" He cursed, standing up and rubbing his now bruised jaw "I'm going to literally ruin you for that!" he growled as he stepped forward and back handed Hinata.

He grabbed either side of the collar of her flak jacket ready to tear it open when he heard her laugh.

"I can't believe you fell for my trap …"

"What?"

Kuroma looked down at Hinata's smiling face which bore a silvered glistening crack; he frowned slightly at this before he heard a distinctive familiar sizzling sound coming from Hinata's body.

"kaboom"

The resulting explosion was a spectacular display of sheer firepower as the blast engulfed the three boys and spat them out violently as dust, ash and splintered wood and leaves rained down over the area.

Kuroma cursed as he pulled himself to his feet, using a tree to support himself. He instantly grasped at his leg to find shards of ice protruding from his thigh, his eyes trailed up to find his forearm was literally peppered with small icicles, each no larger than a nail. Superficial wounds for him, he steadied himself once more against the tree as he tried to stop the world spinning about him, shaking his head, he tried to focus his vision to see through the smoke, he took a step forward only to fall to his knees to vomit violently.

His eyes focused better after a moment of blinking away tears, he wiped away the blood running down his nose and from his ears, looking around as he pulled himself back to his feet shakily.

It was the sight of Kozuki that greeted him first; he lay against a tree trunk, his body rent and burnt, though Kuroma could tell it had been the shards of ice that had finished the boy off, blood still made a pathetic attempt to pulsate from the boys jugular, indicating he was in the final throes of an agonising death.

"Sh-Shiro … Shiro! Where are you!?" he called out, looking around franticly.

"Here … Kuroma" Came the other boys voice as he stepped out from behind a tree, turning to face Kuroma sluggishly, blood ran freely down the side of his head from beneath his hair. Leaning heavily on the tree next to him for support, his right arm hung motionless at his side, blood running down and off his fingertips, shredded muscle and skin hung from bone, twitching slightly.

"Bitch g-got us with an ice clone … I can't f-feel my arm" Shiro spoke as he lost his balance slightly.

"I can just about walk … k-Kozuki's dead, let's just kill this bitch … call it quits" He spoke as he took a few shaky steps forward.

He didn't get a reply from his team mate as Shiro's head was sent sailing across the clearing.

Hinata landed in a crouch in the clearing, her head turned to look at Kuroma, panting but glaring at him none the less as she slowly stood, the now bloody Wakizashi in her hand.

Kuroma watched his team mates head roll to a stop and felt his anger bubble over, his eyes darted to Hinata as he ran through a series of hand signs as fast as his broken body would allow.

"Suiton: Suigadan!" Kuroma spoke before a spitting a continuous jet stream of water at Hinata.

Hinata's eyes widened slightly before she spun on the spot, discarding the Wakizashi to the ground and emitting the last of her chakra.

"kaiten!"

Her defence held true and the jet stream simply impacted and spun off the chakra dome.

Both Genin ended their attacks, panting while facing one another. This was it, they both saw it, one would die here … now. They charged each other, throwing shuriken, cancelling the others attack.

Kuroma drew a Kunai in reverse grip and struck for Hinata's throat but found his attack blocked by Hinata's open palm, he attempted to knee her in the stomach but the kunoichi palmed the knee away too and finally looked up to Kuroma, her Byakugan ablaze.

"I may not be the strongest in my clan … but I am still a Hyuga!" She spoke as she thrust her open palm into the boy's stomach and again into his right shoulder, forcing him to drop his Kunai, again her palm connected with his chin before bringing her palm back once more.

"Hakke Kusho!" her palm outstretched as her opponent was thrown back through the air like a rag doll to land roughly on the ground with a hard thud.

'Damn … that last attack has left me with little to no chakra, I can't even maintain my Byakugan' she though as her eyes deactivated, running at kuroma as he slowly moved to get up, she drew a kunai, ready to end it. Her blade was inches from him when he spun, catching her wrist, falling onto his back as Hinata used her full weight to bear down on his throat with the blade. His free hand shot up, grasping her throat tightly.

"Fucking die!" He growled as his grip tightened, he let go and back handed Hinata away from him, sending her skidding along the floor a few feet away.

Kuroma caught sight of the discarded Wakizashi and made a desperate stumble for it, his fingertips brushed the hilt gently before His entire body jerked back to the ground. Hinata bared down on him once more, attempting to pierce his chest with her kunai, again his hand shot up to her throat, squeezing tightly as pushing her away with all of his failing strength.

One hand each on the kunai trying to pierce Kuroma's flesh, one hand each at Hinata's throat. Hinata clawing desperately for air, felt her consciousness slipping, her world dizzying and the edges of her vision fading to black quickly, managing to think quickly she tore her Tanto from its sheath and brought it down in a vicious strike to kuroma's shoulder, loosening his grip on her throat. She twisted the blade and tore it out again, paying no mind at the boy's screeches of pain as she brought the blade up again.

"No! S-Stop Please!"

She brought her blade down into the boys side, sliding it between his ribs before ripping it out completely, leaving her victim wide-eyed and gasping, fear etched into his face as Hinata brought the blade down one last time into his chest down to the hilt. Kuroma's body stiffened, he coughed a small amount of dark blood as his body slowly relaxed into the dirt.

Hinata panted for air as she leaned over the body, her hand still tightly grasping the blade … after a few moments she pulled the blades out slowly and stumbled back to her feet. Before falling back to sit at the base of a tree, staring at the boy she had just killed.

Minutes passed and she just stared at the body a few feet away from her, a single tear rolled down her cheek before she wiped it away and slowly got onto her feet, walking forward. She stared down at the open lifeless eyes of her enemy before dropping to her knees and rolling him over, searching his utility pouch until she found what she was looking for. She smiled to herself, clutching the earth scroll in her hand before stuffing it into her own utility pouch, looking around the area before she jumped off into the trees to find Naruto and Sakura.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Sakura.<strong>

Sakura opened her eyes, squinting slightly in the light as she heard a muffled voice calling her name. She diverted her limited view to the face of Ino who was still calling her name.

"i-I'm fine Ino … just took a hard hit is all, give me a minute" Sakura grumbled as she slowly sat up, rubbing her head.

"You're lucky we found you before someone else did Sakura, people are dying in this forest" Ino stated as she helped Sakura to her feet.

"I don't doubt it? … Naruto and Hinata?" Sakura asked as she looked at Ino.

"Missing, Shikamaru and Chouji are doing a scan of the surrounding area, see if they can find them"

"We were hit by a massive futon jutsu and blown off in different directions, and we only got hit with the backlash from what I can tell" Sakura spoke, getting to her feet just as Shikamaru and Chouji arrived back.

"Troublesome, you're awake" Shikamaru commented.

"Nice to see you to Shikamaru" Sakura smirked as she checked her equipment over.

"So what will you do now?" asked Chouji.

"I'll stick with you guys, at least until I find Naruto and Hinata or we get to the tower.

"Troublesome, we don't have both scrolls, actually we're lucky we've kept ours up to this point" Shikamaru stated as the group started to move through the forest at ground level.

"Then let's get your scroll and get to the tower then"

Team ten just watched as Sakura walked past them all and further into the forest.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Naruto<strong>.

Naruto awoke lazily, leaning against a felled tree, he opened his eyes groggily and the first thing he felt was numbness over his body, giving himself a few moments for his body to awaken fully. He pulled himself to his feet and took a step forward when he heard a hissing noise behind him. Slowly turning he came face to face with a gigantic python, glaring down at him with yellow silted eyes, its forked tongue flickering lazily in his direction; it moved its body into position and struck forward at the blonde, its mouth wide open in an attempt to snap up the meal before it.

"Fuck! off!" Naruto growled out in barely contained rage as he leapt up into the snakes open maw, ejecting his wrist blades and driving them up into the snakes skull as its jaw snapped shut.

The snake realigned its jaw bones before moving forward slightly, then it stopped for a moment, the top of its scaled head exploded into a shower of blood, bone fragments and brain matter before it slumped down onto the forest floor in death.

Naruto cut the flow of chakra to the blades and hopped out of the gaping hole in the snake's head., shaking off as much blood and gore as he could.

He focused his senses, reaching out into the forest, slowing his breathing. He could hear the faint sounds of battle not too far away. He immediately leapt off in that direction, taking to the trees to maximize the distance he could cover at the fastest pace.

He could hear the battle getting closer and closer as he leapt through the trees. He would be in the thick of it with less than a minute. He drew his Katana, bursting through the treeline and landed on a huge, wide branch baring his weapon down viciously into the path of what Naruto could see as a head with its neck stretched.

The head retracted back to its body to avoid the decapitation. Naruto pulled his blade back to rest on his shoulder, he looked right to see Sasuke staring between him and his attacker wide eyes with fear. Naruto then looked to the left to find a tall figure with flayed and burnt skin and long black hair and a single yellow predatory eye glancing out from behind the burnt flesh. A Kusagakure headband adorned the ninja's head.

"Sasuke … you look exhausted, why don't you sit this one out" Naruto suggested calmly as he turned to face the Kusa Genin. Sasuke didn't reply, he only nodded as he pulled himself to his feet and jumped away to regroup with his team.

Naruto locked eyes with his new enemy; he felt it, the raw power practically radiating from this figure. He tightened his grip on his weapon.

"You let my prey escape boy … I have no interest in you, step aside or die" The Kusagakure genin spoke calmly with a sickeningly sweet tone to his voice.

"He may have believed you were an ordinary genin … but I don't, I'm your opponent now, so why don't you stop playing dress up and we get this show on the road" Naruto retorted loudly with confidence.

The Kusa genin reached up and tore the burnt flesh from his face, revealing sickeningly white skin and yellow eyes and His headband had changed from Kusagakure to an Oto symbol.

"Very good, allow me to introduce myself to you before I kill you, I am Orochimaru" The pale man mocked a bow as a predatory grin etched its way onto his face as he recognised the child in front of him.

"So today I kill the leaf villages' jinchuuriki, and tomorrow … well let's not spoil any surprises" Orochimaru spoke as he dashed forward at Naruto with near blinding speed, spitting up his own Blade from his throat.

Naruto leapt forward, meeting the rogue sannin half way as their blades clashed and sparked slightly, they sprung past one another and turned.

Once more they lunged at one another, their blades locking in a stalemate but Naruto knew he would lose to the snake sannin's superior strength and experience, he knew what his opponent was capable of .

"You're rushing headlong to your death boy, like father like son" Orochimaru's snarling grin met Naruto's gaze as they leapt away from one another once more, Naruto launched several shuriken at the rouge sannin only to have him dip, dodge and deflect the weapons effortlessly.

Naruto dashed forward with inhuman speed as his blade buzzed to life with a slight blue glow, he aimed for the snakes face only to have the Kusangani blade block his attack.

In response Naruto spun low and brought his blade up in an upper cutting motion, Naruto inwardly cursed as Orochimaru landed several feet away grinning and chuckling.

Naruto quickly ran through several hand seals and inhaled deeply "Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

The blonde spat forth a searing torrent of white Incandescent fire to engulf everything before him

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly as he leapt back repeatedly to avoid the white hot incineration headed his way. After a few seconds the flames died out leaving a panting Naruto glaring at Orochimaru through the now incinerated and blackened trees of the forest.

Orochimaru surveyed the destruction that jutsu had caused, noting the charred trees starting to crumble and disintegrate slowly ' If I had been caught in that, I'd have been in trouble' The snake sannin thought to himself as he took a step forward putting a smirk on his face.

"Didn't your teachers ever teach you not to waste chakra on attacks doomed to fail?" the man taunted the blonde.

Naruto stood up straight and calmed his breathing slightly before he looked Orochimaru dead in the eyes "I didn't waste my chakra"

Without even sensing them, four of Naruto's shadow clones appeared around Orochimaru, their blades poised and glowing. Each clone impaled the blades into the snake sannin. Orochimaru felt his insides tear and shred with the wind element chakra of the blades, throwing his head back in an agonising shriek of pain.

Naruto leapt forward, readying his blade to go through the snake's neck. His clones twisted their blades simultaneously before the real Naruto made his strike. Orochimaru's head slid from his shoulders, collapsing into a puddle of mud, quickly followed by his body.

"Tsuchi bunshin …" Naruto glared at the mud as his clones dispelled and he was forced to turn, just in time to raise his blade to deflect Orochimaru's own blade.

"That was beautifully executed boy … but I'm afraid you'll need a lot more than fancy tricks to beat me" Orochimaru sneered as he leapt away from Naruto.

Naruto fell to a knee panting and glaring at his enemy "One day … One day you will look back at exactly what you've done with your life … what you've thrown away and you will realise that your life was without love, without true purpose … wasted"

Orochimaru grinned at the blondes speech "And I suppose if I kill you now, your life had more meaning than my own?" the Snake summoner laughed, however his laughing was cut short by Naruto's response.

"Yes" Naruto stood up and took a deep breath "But I refuse to die here today … Not before I become Hokage of the leaf, not before I marry the woman I love and have a family of my own …. And I certainly will not accept deaths embrace until I have seen your twisted mangled corpse at my feet! That is my promise to you! That is my promise of a lifetime to you!" Naruto spoke with sheer conviction.

Orochimaru stared at the boy before him and while outwardly he didn't seem fazed in the slightest, the promise this boy had made had somehow sent a shiver down his spine on this day. He raised the Kusanagi blade to point at the blonde.

"Don't make promises you can't keep"

"I don't!" Naruto replied as his wounds started to visibly heal before Orochimaru's eyes, a red haze of chakra slowly bubbling around the boy as a single tail of chakra and a pair of elongated chakra ears formed around the boy, his eyes darkening red and his whisker-like marks darkening.

Orochimaru charged forward to strike with his blade only to have Naruto block the strike with ease using his own blade.

**Hinata.**

Hinata leapt through the trees using her Byakugan to periodically scan ahead and around her when she spotted Sakura walking with team ten to her far right a couple hundred foot away. She immediately shot off in that direction. She leapt down just behind them, panting as they turned to see her.

"Hinata!" Sakura ran over too her and hugged her tightly.

"Where is Naruto-kun?" Hinata questioned as she returned the hug.

As soon as those words left Hinata's lips something shot into the ground with enough force to crater and kick up dust. The five Konoha genin turned toward the blast area not 20 meters away from them to hear a sick chuckling as a figure pulled itself out of the crater.

"Ku ku ku ku ku … You hit hard when you use its power but it's still not enough boy"

It was at that moment that an exhausted and beaten Naruto appeared in the tree above the figure.

"It would seem your power is spent and you've barely been able to land a few superficial hits on me" Orochimaru smirked as he glanced to the five genin behind him.

Naruto used the trunk of the tree to support himself as he noticed the Hinata behind Orochimaru, his breath hitched in his throat and fear gripped him for the first time in a long time. It was at this moment he felt a slight tug on his mind and a fiery burning power radiating from his very core. It spread through him like a fire. He felt a huge surge of raw un-tamable power at his fingertips. He stared down at Orochimaru who raised an eyebrow at him "not spent after all"

Naruto shot down from the tree and attacked Orochimaru with his sword, having his blade blocked by the traitor. It was then that Orochimaru felt two other sources of power behind him, insignificant but noteworthy to man of his skill.

"I would love to stay and play with all you children … but my prey has long escaped and I simply must give him my gift before this exam ends" Orochimaru laughed as he leapt back away from Naruto and slowly sank into the ground.

"Bastard!" Naruto growled out in frustration as he dropped to his knees to try and catch his breath, all of his power leaving him. Hinata was over too him like a shot, her arms around him.

Naruto threw one arm around her, trying to catch his breath. It wasn't long before he noticed the bandage around her arm.

"What happened to your arm?" he questioned with worry.

"I ran into a Kiri team … its nothing; please don't worry about my arm whilst you're so exhausted" Hinata spoke softly as she helped him to his feet.

"It's getting dark" Sakura spoke as she slung Naruto's other arm over her shoulder to help Hinata support their blonde team-mate.

Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji formed up around them in a triangular position.

"Sakura helped us gain our scroll to pass this test" Ino spoke as she took point as the group started walking, Chouji flanked the left side and Shikamaru on the right with team thirteen in the centre. She turned her head slightly to look at the blonde and his team "We will escort you to the tower in return"

"Thanks, Ino" Hinata nodded at the girl with a smile.

With that said, they all took to the trees, Naruto's now unconscious form being hauled along by his team mates. Hinata allowed herself a worried glance at her boyfriend. Never before had she seen him so exhausted. She looked over to Sakura who noticed her look and gave her a reassuring smile.

"He'll be fine Hinata, we'll get to the tower, hand the scrolls in and once he's had some rest, he'll be fine" Sakura spoke quietly.

Hinata nodded with determination and activated her Byakugan, seeing the tower little more than a kilometre away from their current speed. They continued on in silence for about an hour longer when Shikamaru spoke up.

"We have to stop here" Shikamaru announced to the group, halting their progress, they all landed down on the Forrest floor.

"What's up Shikamaru, we should get to the tower as quick as we can" Ino berated her team-mate.

"It's getting dark … even with Hinata's Byakugan, we can't traverse the forest at night, not with Naruto in that shape, if we keep going, we risk fatigue and the closer we get to the tower the greater the chance of ambush, we cannot afford to be caught up in a fight with all of us in a weakened and tired state." Shikamaru explained.

Sakura sighed "He's right Ino, besides it's safer on the ground in this forest of a night time than up in the trees, trust me … you don't want to know what hunts up there during the night" Sakura spoke her agreement.

Ino sighed and nodded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hinata took Naruto over to a tree with a hollowed out base and set him down gently inside, it was then she noticed the pained expression on the blondes' unconscious face. She quickly checked his pulse and found it to be racing. She quickly started checking him over until her hand landed on a warm wet patch on his leg. She removed her hand to find a mixture of dark blood and puss smeared on the palm of her hand; she looked to his leg and found a small tear in his pants over his thigh.

"Sakura, Ino, get in here! I need assistance!" She called franticly as she delicately pushed both index fingers through the ripped fabric and tore it apart as wide as she could to reveal the small, deep cut on his thigh. The cut itself was little more than maybe a centimetre and a half in length but the flesh around it was raised and inflamed and there were thin black veins darting outward over Naruto's leg from around the wound. The wound itself oozed a putrid dark yellow puss mixed with flecks of congealed blood.

It was this sight that greeted Sakura and Ino as they headed in to see what was going on. Sakura paled slightly at the sight but Ino, being less used to sights of gore then the other girls, wretched at the sight. Sakura recovered from her shock first.

"Poison? What do we do?" She asked as she knelt down and quickly removed her first aid kit, handing it to Hinata who took it immediately and set it down and pulled on a pair of black surgical gloves, her Byakugan active to help her better understand the situation.

"We … We need too-" Hinata started to stammer as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Hinata! Look at me! Naruto's been poisoned, we act fast to treat this as best we can, now what is our course of action!?" Sakura Said, snapping Hinata out of her stupor before it could turn to panic whilst applying her own pair of gloves.

Hinata took in a deep breath "From what I can gather, it's a complex toxin that replicates itself inside its host, feeding on muscle tissue, its already pooling inside his leg" Hinata spoke, wiping the tears away with her sleeves.

"Course of action!?" Sakura asked sharply, keeping Hinata from falling apart.

"Firstly, we drain and clean the wound as best we can, then we try to slow down and neutralize what has already seeped into his circulatory system" Hinata spoke evenly but Sakura could still tell that the girl was at the breaking point.

"What do you need me to do?" Ino asked from the entrance of the hollow.

"I have most of what we need … Ino I need a common honeysuckle and a cats claw plant as quickly as you can find them! Go!" Hinata ordered as removed a small scroll from her medical kit and unraveled it, revealing a storage scroll. She quickly unsealed the contents, a small wooden box with a hinged lid. She opened it and pulled out several vials of liquid. She then set out a set of surgical tools.

Hinata looked to Sakura "Could you bring Chouji in here please? I'll need some brute strength for this" Hinata spoke softly and shakily. Sakura nodded and left the hollow to retrieve the boy as requested. Hinata looked down at Naruto and wiped his forehead with a damp cloth she had soaked with water from her canteen, a fever had started to take hold of the blonde, his time was starting to run out. She steeled her resolve and stroked his cheek gently as she whispered too him, her voice cracked with sorrow "I'm sorry Naruto-kun … but I'm going to have to hurt you … to save you"

**Chapter end.**

**I always hate it when chapters end on a cliff-hangers, but … I do take a certain sick delight in denying you all a happy fulfilling ending once in a while and these days I have to get my jollies wherever I can. I have a renewed direction for this story and I hope the readers that were with me along the way so far will join me in future. Furthermore, I have unanswered mail in my inbox, I will try and get to those people to answer questions over the next few days. Thank you for your patients and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until Next time,**

**Kirikage. **


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